Nenko System
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The Nenko system or Nenko Joretsu as it is called in Japan, is the Japanese system of promoting an employee in order of his or her proximity to retirement. The advantage of the system is that it allows older employees to achieve a higher salary level before retirement and that it usually brings more experience to the executive ranks. The disadvantage of the system is that it does not allow new talent to be merged with the experience and those with specialized skills cannot be promoted to the already crowded executive ranks. It also does not guarantee or even attempt to bring the "right person for the right job".
The Nenko system can also be seen in Japanese government. Japanese parliament seats are usually filled with the older members from each party.
After the economic bubble burst in Japan in the late 80s and the venture capital (dot-com) shock of the 90s, the Nenko system has become less popular amongst business as they could not afford to keep older employess with high salaries on the payroll. Many mid-level executives that climbed the corporate ladder with the Nenko system fell victim to "RiSuToRa" or corporate restructuring. Without knowing how to compete for a high wage position unlike the younger talents, in the 21st century, the Nenko system is seen as a decadent system that has spoiled the older generations.
