高等教育機関としての大学教職員の介護離職と就業環境に関する分析 : 東北大学の教職員に関する実態アンケート調査から

Rapid and high-level population aging induces working generations to quit their jobs to take care of their frail family members. This paper investigates the determinants of university staff members quitting jobs to care for elderly relatives. Using original survey data from Tohoku University, we estimate features of the working environment that may predict such a situation. We find that more than 60% of workers in Tohoku University will have frail family members who need to be cared in the next five years. Among them, only about 15% of workers are currently engaging in the nursing care for their families, while about 30% of the workers are now facing growing care needs. About 30% to 50% of the respondents anticipate having to quit their jobs if they would have to take care of their family members.
Using the individual data of our original survey, we attempted to empirically analyze the determinants of a predicted need to quit job to provide nursing care. The results of our estimation indicate that a positive work-life balance and availability to take paid holidays in the work place will reduce one’s anticipation of having to quit their jobs to provide nursing care. In addition, holding a tenured position will also reduce the anticipation of quitting their jobs.
In order to maintain good performance on research and education activities among the universities in aging Japan, we need to introduce an efficient employment management system to employ scholars, researchers, and other workers in the university in a way that allows them to cope with the nursing care needs of their family members.