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Japan's Worker Shortage
The Indicator NPR hide caption
Some companies in Japan are going bankrupt because of the country's critical labor shortage. Officials point to a declining birthrate — which has led to a shortage of workers — and an infamously demanding workplace culture that is discouraging some people from entering the job market at all. This past April, Japan's legislative body introduced a novel solution to these two problems: a law requiring workers to work less.
Today on The Indicator, how a cap on overtime could alter Japan's work culture, bring new people — particularly women — into the workplace, and solve the country's labor shortage.
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