Abstract
BackgroundAlthough previous studies have underscored some unique inequalities in occupational mortality in Japan, many of these trends have been dramatically altered during recent decades. We analyzed mortality data by occupation and industry in Japan, to determine whether differences remained by the mid-2010s for men in working-age population.MethodsWe calculated age-standardized all-cause and cause-specific mortality, according to occupation and industry, among men aged 25–64 years in the 2015 fiscal year (1 April 2015 to 31 March 2016). Occupational and industry-specific categories were defined using the Japan Standard Occupational Classification and Japan Standard Industrial Classification, respectively. Age-standardized mortality rates were computed using 5-year age intervals. Mortality rate ratios adjusted for age and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using Poisson regression. Cause-specific deaths were classified into four broad groups (cancers [C00-D48], cardiovascular diseases [I00-I99], external causes [V01-Y98], and all other diseases) based on the International Statistical Classification of Diseases 10th Revision (ICD-10).ResultsClear mortality differences were identified by both occupation and industry among Japanese males. All-cause mortality ranged from 53.7 (clerical workers) to 240.3 (service workers) per 100,000 population for occupation and from 54.3 (workers in education) to 1169.4 (workers in mining) for industry. In relative terms, service workers and agriculture, forestry, and fishing workers had 2.89 and 2.50 times higher all-cause mortality than sales workers. Administrative and managerial workers displayed higher mortality risk (1.86; 95% CI 1.76–1.97) than sales workers. Similar patterns of broad cause-specific mortality inequality were identified in terms of both absolute and relative measures, and all broad cause-specific deaths contributed to the differences in mortality by occupation and industry.ConclusionsSubstantial differences in mortality among Japanese male workers, according to occupation and industry, were still present in 2015.
Highlights
Japan’s rapidly shrinking working-age population requires a reorganization of industry and reform of the current working-style, a situation which has involved lifetime commitment to a particular job
A total of 28,695 deaths occurred among male workers during the Japanese fiscal year of 2015
JSOC Japan Standard Occupational Classification, Rate ratio (RR) rate ratio, 95% CI 95% confidence interval
Summary
Japan’s rapidly shrinking working-age population (men and women aged 15–64 years) requires a reorganization of industry and reform of the current working-style, a situation which has involved lifetime commitment to a particular job. In Western countries mortality inequality according to occupational class is usually observed as a clear social gradient [7,8,9], trends are remarkably different in Japan. Inequality trends in occupational mortality have changed dramatically during recent decades, with some studies finding that mortality among managers and professionals increased rapidly after the year 2000, in tandem with a restructuring of the Japanese economy during that time [11, 12]. Previous studies have underscored some unique inequalities in occupational mortality in Japan, many of these trends have been dramatically altered during recent decades. We analyzed mortality data by occupation and industry in Japan, to determine whether differences remained by the mid-2010s for men in working-age population
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