Determining Factors for Female Public Servants\u27Intention of Continued Employment

This study specifically examined the trend of lengthening years of continuous employment among women who can expect long-term employment, and empirically analyzed the factors for their career choice to become local public servants. The study used job transfer cohort data of female public servants. In the case of entering an occupation with good employment conditions as the first employment, it is known that worsening of employment conditions that occurs when leaving a job exerts an anchor effect. Results revealed that entering first employment with the intention of continuing to work is an important factor for continued employment (Tokyo Women\u27s Foundation 1999; JIL, 2000; Aoshima, 2001; Tomita, 2001; Nishikawa, 2001). Nonetheless, it was difficult to say that detailed examination of background factors which led them to have the intention to continue to work after entering the first employment and analysis of the influences on career development were sufficient1). Therefore, using micro data of female public servants who are likely to expect employment continuation and return to work, we examined their influences on the intention of continued employment2). The results of empirical analysis revealed that the longer the person\u27s years of continuous employment were, the stronger the intention of continued employment became. In addition, those who continue to work are often found among the people who enter employment because of family matters and among the people who perceive employment as a public servant as a life goal. New findings revealed the following effects: high expectations for continued employment derived from employment as a public servant lower the hurdle for satisfaction with working conditions in people in their first employment, and push down the hurdle for satisfaction with the contents of work in a group of people who had been reemployed