A Comparative Study of Policies for the Social Participation of Baby-boomer Retirees in Korea and Japan

Abstract

A large population of Korean baby boomers has begun in 2010 to retire from the labor force. The social and economic response for the impacts due to retirement, through the community participation after retirement, has been required to prepare the vibrant and healthy old age at the national level. In Japan, the Ministry of Health and Welfare supports community involvement programs to induce employment or volunteer work among retirees. For retirees who want leisure or volunteer work, Japan has implemented such programs as Seniors’ Club, which allows easy access to community-based social participation, and local Silver Centers which support retirees who want to continue working. Through Japan’s social involvement policy, we learned that a unified management channel is conducive to reducing leakage and duplication in support. After retirement for the baby-boom generation, in order to participate by selecting in the program smoothly and any time, it is necessary for the Korean government to build more efficient and systematic support programs for the social participation of retirees, as well as a unified support policies channel.