Labor Market Conditions and Migration in Japan

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between labor market conditions and population migration. More than half of all long-distance migration for the 15–64 age group is by young people in their twenties or younger, indicating a relatively high mobility of the young. The migration of young people tends to be in response to regional imbalances in the state of the labor market. Most of them move alone, without their families, and live in single person households in their new place of residence. Migration decreases with age, that is, after the twenties, because other constraints deter mobility. On the basis of the results of this study, regional population policy or planning that aims to increase net migrations should be conducted in combination with employment policy, especially for improving the regional job market for young people.