Improvement in Employment The improvement in employment is clear from the rise in the active job openings-to-applicants ratio, the decline in the unemployment rate, the increase in the number of employees, and other indicators. The increase in the number of employees is due to the rise in the employment rates of women and the elderly in particular.
While there remains the issue that many of the women and the elderly are not regular but non-regular employees and only work short hours, the situation certainly is an improvement from the past. In an aging society, the fact that the employment rate of the elderly actually has risen holds great importance.