Levels and systems of employment in the Japanese retail trade: a comparison with France

The Japanese retail trade generates considerably more jobs thanits French counterpart, and it manages these jobs in a verydifferent way. The aim of this paper is to present both an economicexplanation of the comparative levels of the retail employmentin both countries and a socio-economic comparative interpretationof the corresponding employment systems. The first part of thepaper presents the main differences between the two countriesin respect of employment levels in retailing. In the secondpart, we put forward a set of economic explanations for thesedifferences. In the third part, more qualitative differencesin employment systems and, in particular, labour segmentationand flexibility, are analysed against the background of familystructures and norms and of certain institutional features atnational and industry level. This final part provides an opportunityfor a reassessment of the concepts that have traditionally underpinnedsegmentation and dual labour market theories.