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Faced with exceptionally rapid population ageing, Korea should address obstacles that lower fertility rates while encouraging higher labour force participation, particularly among women. While public social spending is currently very low, there is pressure for increased outlays on pensions, healthcare, long-term care and social assistance. The government should be cautious in expanding spending, taking into account the impact on economic growth. Outlays should be limited by shifting from direct provision of social services, notably childcare and long-term care, in favour of providing vouchers to consumers. Given the limited coverage of the public pension system, the new means-tested benefit for the elderly will be useful in reducing poverty. It is important to increase transparency about self-employed income to ensure fairness in the financing of social insurance systems, including the new long-term care insurance. The rise in inequality and relative poverty should be reversed by reducing labour market dualism.

Economics --- Korea, Republic of

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The proportion of non-regular workers has risen to one-third of total employment. While non-regular employment provides flexibility and cost reductions for firms, it also creates equity and efficiency concerns. A comprehensive approach that includes relaxing the high degree of employment protection for regular workers and expanding the coverage of non-regular workers by the social security system would help to reverse dualism. Given that non-regular workers receive less firm-based training, it is also necessary to expand training outside of firms to support Japan’s growth potential, while enhancing the employment prospects of non-regular workers. Reversing the upward trend in non-regular employment may also encourage greater female labour force participation, which is essential given rapid population ageing that is already reducing Japan’s working-age population by almost 1% each year. Expanding childcare facilities and paying more attention to work-life balance would also boost female employment, while also raising Japan’s exceptionally low birth rate.

Economics --- Japan

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Globalisation through foreign direct investment (FDI), international trade and international movements of labour is a key force driving economic growth. Although Korea has become more integrated in the world economy over the past decade, it still ranks low in terms of import penetration, the stock of inward FDI relative to GDP and foreign workers as a share of the labour force. A number of policy reforms would help Korea make greater use of goods, services, capital and human resources from abroad: i) reducing barriers to FDI, including foreign ownership limits in some sectors; ii) focusing on attracting FDI by improving the business and living environment rather than through special zone schemes; iii) reducing import barriers, particularly in agriculture, through multilateral trade negotiations and WTO-consistent regional trade agreements; iv) relaxing product market regulations, notably in services; and v) easing controls on and facilitating the inflow of both low and high-skilled workers.

Economics --- Korea, Republic of

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Labour productivity growth in the service sector, which accounts for 70% of Japan’s economic output and employment, has slowed markedly in recent years in contrast to manufacturing. The disappointing performance is associated with weak competition in the service sector resulting from strict product market regulation and the low level of import penetration and inflows of foreign direct investment (FDI). Reversing the deceleration in productivity growth in the service sector is essential to raise Japan’s growth potential. The key is to eliminate entry barriers, accelerate regulatory reform, upgrade competition policy and reduce barriers to trade and inflows of FDI. Special attention should be given to factors limiting productivity growth in services characterised by either low productivity or high growth potential, such as retail, transport, energy and business services. Finally, it is essential to increase competition in public services, such as health and education, where market forces have been weak.

Economics --- Japan

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Globalisation through foreign direct investment (FDI), international trade and international movements of labour is a key force driving economic growth. Although Korea has become more integrated in the world economy over the past decade, it still ranks low in terms of import penetration, the stock of inward FDI relative to GDP and foreign workers as a share of the labour force. A number of policy reforms would help Korea make greater use of goods, services, capital and human resources from abroad: i) reducing barriers to FDI, including foreign ownership limits in some sectors; ii) focusing on attracting FDI by improving the business and living environment rather than through special zone schemes; iii) reducing import barriers, particularly in agriculture, through multilateral trade negotiations and WTO-consistent regional trade agreements; iv) relaxing product market regulations, notably in services; and v) easing controls on and facilitating the inflow of both low and high-skilled workers.

Economics --- Korea, Republic of