While Japanese law provides for a syst
em of Family Care Leave (long-term
leave designed to support workers responsible for the long-term care of family
members), the take-up rate of the leave remains at a low level. This paper an-
alyzes whether workers tend to quit their jobs because of the need to take con-
secutive leave, as envisioned by the Family Care Leave system, or whether
there is another reason for this tendency. It also examines issues concerning
support for continued employment designe
d to match the actual circumstances
of workers engaged in long-term care for
family members. Analysis of data on
workers who are in employment at the start of long-term care reveals that (1)
there is a positive correlation between a greater need to take Family Care
Leave and a lower rate of continuous
employment in the same company from
the beginning to the end of the caregivi
ng period, (2) long-term care services
are used to alleviate the need for long-
term leave while such need is greater
when caring for a parent than when caring for a spouse?s parent, (3) regardless
of the need for long-term leave, workers who work six hours or less per day
are more likely to remain continuously
employed in the same company than
those who work more than eight hours pe
r day, and (4) there is a correlation
between lower rates of continuous empl
oyment in the same company and the
provision of long-term care with no assi
stance from other family members, as
well as severe dementia afflicting the care recipient, regardless of the need for
long term leave. These findings indicate that, to enable
caregivers to remain in
employment, it is essential not only to manage the Family Care Leave system
effectively but also to offer a full range
of other forms of support, such as re-
duced working hours and social support for workers who provide dementia
care
