Strategies for creative job-seeking after retirement in Japan

Japan has one of the longest average lifespans in the world, but this has not yet been fully translated into an extension of the working lifespan of employees. In particular, older employees from business fields in which working beyond the company’s retirement age is still not common face limited job opportunities in the labor market if they change companies after reaching retirement age. A striking reduction in working conditions after reaching retirement age triggers older people to reconstruct their identities and attitudes regarding work after retirement. Adjusting to these changes in a flexible and creative way increases their job opportunities. This paper investigates the responses of older people to changes triggered by retirement age through a case study of a project run by an employment agency in Tokyo, Mystar60, for older job seekers with high levels of English skills. This study uses the filter model developed by Röpke to investigate the deciding factors for their actions linked with working after a company’s retirement age. The case study shows the typical difficulties of older job seekers. The findings reveal that the Mystar60 program improved interviewees’ job opportunities in a creative way by encouraging them to act as an entrepreneur. Through active interaction as co-learning, Mystar60 and older people created a niche business market in which older people can apply their English skills effectively and get “fair” remuneration.