Job Discussion Forums

Rooster_2006 · Joined: 24 Sep 2007 Posts: 984

I know very little about ageism in Japan, except that it exists. Therefore, I'm asking on here what you all think.

1. What jobs does age discrimination affect? Does it mostly just affect time-sensitive ones like models, flight attendants, and sports players where appearance or young strength is vital, or does it seriously affect people in other sectors as well? How would a computer programmer fare? A nurse? A civil servant?

2. For Japanese people entering good companies (not related to teaching English), at what age does the applicant's age start to hurt the applicant's chances? 30? 32? 35? 40? 50?

3. Are foreigners (especially foreigners entering non-EFL occupations such as corporate positions) held to the same ageism scale? If not, at what point does age become a problem for a foreigner seeking to enter a Japanese company?

4. Let's say that Candidate A has been working at a B-grade company for five years and has done a good job. He is now 34 years old. How likely is it that he could transfer to an A-grade company?

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

1. It will sometimes depend on the gender.

2. Good companies only? And, are you talking about "entering" as in entering on the bottom rung? Lots of middle managers right now (late 40s, or in their 50s) are suffering in the job hunting process that they've not had to encounter for decades.

3. Foreigners in some EFL-related jobs are cut off at certain ages. There used to be ads on JRECIN that allowed employers to post for uni professors with a cutoff of 35 years of age. Not anymore, although who's to say what they secretly hold as a requirement? Some eikaiwas have a similar (although perhaps mythological) cutoff because of the younger image they portray or want to portray in their commercials. Perhaps mid to late 50s is the red zone for them. As for non-EFL jobs for foreigners, I wouldn't know much.

4. Probably a good chance. Just a guess based on the little details you can provide in a hypothetical situation, and assuming A and B grade companies are both Japanese.