Changes in employment security in Asia

Much attention has been focused on the decline of traditional employment structures in the advanced indus trial countries. Lesser attention has focused on this issue in Asia. In this comparative article, we examine the changes in employment security in China, India, Japan and South Korea. We focus on the historical develop ment of the employment security social contract in these countries, noting the institutional features that gave rise to it in each country. We then examine the resilience of employment security norms under recent eco nomic pressures. We find that there has been substantial erosion in employment security during the nineties in all four countries due to both increased competition and economic liberalization, although there is some variation in both the rate of erosion as well as the prospects for revival of the social contract. We assess the possibilities of a revival in this particular social contract, and the impact of the erosion on unorganized workers.