Labor Market Institutions and Job Mobility in Asian Societies: A Comparative Study of Japan and Taiwan

In this article we focus on job mobility patterns in Japan and Taiwan, exploring how local institutional settings are linked to patterns of job mobility. Previous studies have distinguished between involuntary and voluntary job mobility. However, more diverse patterns of job mobility may also exist, which are not captured by this dichotomy. In this study we used representative national survey data from Japan and Taiwan and analyzed five types of job turnover: involuntary, positive voluntary, negative voluntary, family related and other. Using event history models we found significant differences between the two societies. First, the effect of higher education on voluntary job mobility was weaker in Japan than in Taiwan. Second, the effect of organizational size on voluntary job mobility was stronger in Japan than in Taiwan. Third, these tendencies were more significant for men than for women. These results suggest that the local institutional filters affect the turnover process.