Does Labor Shortage Caused by Increased Parental Leave and Reduced Working Hours Due to Childcare Lower Job Satisfaction Among Workers?
In Japan, parental leave systems and reduced working hours arrangements have become widespread, with an increasing number of employees utilizing these programs. However, this simultaneously creates problems such as temporary labor shortages associated with the use of these systems. Companies tend to address this issue not necessarily by securing replacement personnel, but rather by redistributing workload within departments and workplaces. This leads to increased workload burdens on existing personnel in the workplace and may reduce job satisfaction. This study examines this situation using individual-level data that can identify the presence of childcare-related labor shortages in workplaces. The analysis revealed the following five findings. First, the probability of facing childcare-related labor shortages was higher for those working at companies with larger firm size and higher proportions of female regular employees, and particularly among unmarried women without children. Second, job satisfaction was more likely to decline due to increased numbers of employees taking parental leave or working reduced hours among unmarried women without children and married men with children. To explore the background of job satisfaction decline among married men with children, we conducted a re-analysis dividing married men with children into managerial and non-managerial positions, revealing that the decline in job satisfaction was particularly pronounced among those in managerial positions. Third, examining the impact by timing of childcare-related labor shortage occurrence, the effects of recent labor shortages were small for both men and women, while job satisfaction declined due to labor shortages that had been occurring for two years or more. Fourth, among unmarried women without children who are susceptible to the effects of childcare-related labor shortages, job satisfaction decline was particularly pronounced for those under 30 years old, those with below-average income, those working at small and medium enterprises with fewer than 100 employees, and those employed at companies where female regular employees comprised 50% or more of the workforce. Fifth, examining the characteristics of companies where childcare-related labor shortages occur, these firms tended to promote employees' use of parental leave. Additionally, the recruitment fulfillment rate for these companies had declined over the past three years.
