In particular, whether or not young people have opportunities to enhance their skills at work affects their future careers, as well as the productivity of the overall economy. It is vital that the younger generation is provided diverse and stable job opportunities. A decline in the long-term unemployment rate also increases the economy's productivity, since skills could be lost as unemployment becomes prolonged.
Widespread improvements in the labor market are 10  Masazumi Wakatabe, "Japan's Economy and Monetary Policy," speech at a meeting with business leaders in Niigata, December 5, 2018, http://www.boj.or.jp/en/announcements/press/koen_2018 /ko181205a.htm/. 13  likely to raise the growth potential of Japan's economy. Another possible contribution of monetary easing is to encourage firms to become more active.