The Blind Spot in a Society Dedicated to Self-Development

◆In recent years, the importance of human capital investment has been highlighted across industry, government, and academia in Japan. This stems from growing concerns about addressing labor shortages, raising wages, and fostering corporate growth. Furthermore, reflecting changes in Japan's economic structure, there is also a recognized need to shift the primary actor of human capital investment from corporations to individuals.

◆However, according to a survey by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, only 36.8% of workers engaged in self-development in 2024 in Japan. Looking at the raw summaries, differences exist between regular and non-regular employees, as well as between men and women and by educational background. Issues cited when implementing self-development include being too busy at work and the burden of household chores and child-rearing.

◆To analyze in greater detail what types of people spend time on self-development, we conducted a quantitative analysis using a method called the Tobit model. This analysis examined individual-level data on workers aged 18 to 64 held by the Nippon Institute for Research Advancement (NIRA)（※１）, focusing on attributes and factors believed to be deeply related to time spent on self-development.

◆Quantitative analysis yielded three key implications: (1) Individuals with strong job-changing tendencies tend to spend more time on self-development, (2) those with preschool-aged children tend to spend less time on self-development, (3) women's self-development time tends to be shorter, even after statistically controlling for household chores, child-rearing, and caregiving time.

◆These implications suggest that promoting self-development requires not only individual awareness but also essential societal measures such as alleviating child-rearing burdens and supporting women's career development. Therefore, governments and companies must implement detailed support measures for self-development that take into account individuals' diverse attributes and social backgrounds.

（※１）This report utilizes data from the Nippon Institute for Research Advancement’s “Second Survey of Attitudes Toward Politics, Economy, and Society.” We express our gratitude for this contribution.