Over one-quarter of middle-aged blue-collar workers want to find jobs at new companies after mandatory retirement from their current companies, according to survey results released by a local think tank.
The survey by the Institute of Industrial & Labor Policies, Chubu, found that 28.1 percent of polled blue-collar workers aged 45 or older are eager to move to new companies after they retire from their current positions.
Some 33 percent would like to remain with their current companies under different employment terms, while 16.9 percent are willing to get involved in volunteer work.
The survey, conducted between June and September 1999, also found that 29.7 percent of workers would like to do a different type of work after retirement, up sharply from 14.7 percent in the previous survey in 1989.
The institute is a think tank for about 50 labor unions and companies, including those in Toyota Motor Corp. and its group, in the Chubu region in central Japan. It sent questionnaires to 1,653 workers at 129 companies and received replies from 1,312 workers at 103 firms.
Hosei University professor Hiroyuki Fujimura, who oversaw the poll, said the findings reflect a varied sense of values among blue-collar workers and tough working conditions resulting from intense international competition.