終身雇用

• 読み: しゅうしんこよう
• ローマ字: shūshin koyō
• 漢字の分解: 終 (end) + 身 (body/self) + 雇 (employ) + 用 (use) → employment for one's entire life
• 発音: /ɕuː.ɕin ko.joː/

意味

The lifetime employment system where employees work at one company from graduation until retirement.

終身雇用 was one of the three pillars of Japan's postwar economic miracle, along with seniority-based pay and enterprise unions. Workers would join a company straight out of university and stay until retirement at 60-65, receiving steady promotions and pay increases. While this system is declining — especially after Toyota's CEO publicly questioned its sustainability in 2019 — it still shapes Japanese workplace expectations and is a frequent topic of debate.

例文

1. 終身雇用なんてもう崩壊してるのに、親はまだ信じてる。
2. 大企業の終身雇用に守られてる人が正直うらやましい。
3. 終身雇用が当たり前じゃなくなったから、スキルアップが大事だよね。

使い方ガイド

場面: career discussions, news, social commentary

トーン: analytical, sometimes nostalgic or critical

正しい言い方

• 終身雇用の時代はもう終わったって言われてるよね。 (They say the era of lifetime employment is over.)
• 終身雇用があるから安心してローン組めたんだけどな。 (I could take out a mortgage with peace of mind because of lifetime employment.)

避ける言い方

• 若い世代に「終身雇用がいい」と押し付けない (Don't push lifetime employment as ideal on younger generations — many prefer flexibility)

よくある間違い

• Assuming 終身雇用 is completely dead — many large Japanese companies still practice it to some degree
• Thinking it's a legal requirement — it was always a cultural practice, not a law

起源と歴史

A postwar Japanese employment practice formalized in the 1950s-1960s. The term combines 終身 (lifetime) and 雇用 (employment). Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda's 2019 statement that 'lifetime employment is difficult to maintain' marked a symbolic turning point.

文化的背景

時代: 1950s-1960s establishment, declining since 1990s

世代: All ages (debated across generations)

社会的背景: Primarily large corporations and government

地域メモ: Used across all of Japan. Increasingly discussed in contrast to the growing freelance and job-hopping culture.