Japan's Teacher Shortage at the Beginning of the 21st Century: Declining Competition in Teacher Recruitment Examinations and a Shortage of Regular and Non-Regular Teachers

Abstract

Since 2019, the national competition rate of the elementary school teacher examination has begun to decrease dramatically, falling to 3.2 applicants for every position in 2018, 2.8 in 2019, and 2.3 in 2023. In 19 out of 47 prefectures, the competition rate was less than two. In 2023, about half of all prefectures could not fill the desired number of positions for public elementary school teachers. Currently, many elementary schools lack a regular classroom teacher. In addition, many young teachers who have been employed for several years are having children, and the number of those taking childcare leave is rapidly increasing. Moreover, boards of education are having difficulty recruiting full-time substitute teachers. This paper investigates the current situation and the factors behind the recent decline in the competition ratio of teacher employment examinations and examines the problem of the insufficient placement of teachers in schools based on empirical data. Finally, it considers ways to solve the teacher shortage in Japan.