早期リタイア望む若手男性増 背景［2024.9.15］

働く若手男性の早期リタイアの希望者が増えている――。民間調査会社が今年実施したアンケートで、そんな実態が浮かび上がった。少子高齢化が進展し、かつてなら定年が近い人ですら「働き盛り」とみられる時代に、若者の意識が変化した背景には何があるのか。

調査はパーソル総合研究所が全国15～69歳の働く男女1万人を対象にした「働く10000人の就業・成長定点調査」。2017年から毎年2～3月に実施し、働き方に関する意識などを尋ねている。

　「人生で何歳まで働きたいと思うか」との質問に対する回答は、平均で20代男性が58・0歳、30代男性は62・4歳だった。1回目の17年調査時は、20代男性が63・8歳、30代男性が66・6歳で、それぞれ4歳以上早まる結果となった。

　また、リタイア希望年齢について、20代男性で「50歳以下」とした人の割合は計29・1％で17年の計13・7％から2倍以上増加。30代男性で「55歳以下」とした人も計14・3％から計28・1％と約2倍になった。

　20～30代の女性や、40代以上の男女はおおむね横ばいで推移しており、パーソル総研の金本麻里・研究員は「20～30代男性で特異的に早期リタイアしたいと考える人が増えている」と分析している。

　なぜ早期リタイアを望むのか。50歳以下リタイア希望の20代男性、55歳以下希望の30代男性にそれぞれ尋ねた回答のトップはいずれも「働くことが好きではない」（20代＝29・9％、30代＝31・8％）だった。次いで「家族や友人との時間や趣味などプライベートな生活を充実させたい」（20代＝16・7％、30代＝20・9％）だった。

　希望理由には変化も見られる。その一つが、「リタイア後の生活のための蓄えが十分ある」だ。20年調査時と比べると、20代は約5ポイント増の13・8％、30代は約6ポイント増の14・6％だった。金本さんは、米国発のFIRE（経済的自立と早期リタイア）のように資産運用などで資産を築いて計画的に早期リタイアすることが注目されていることや、共働き世帯の増加で必ずしも男性が家計を支え続けなくてもよいという人が増えていることなどを、考えられる背景に挙げている。

　金本さんは、若手男性が早期リタイアを希望する心理について「仕事に対する意欲が低下したわけではない」とした上で、「プライベート重視」の意向が広がっていることや、日本型雇用の減少といった労働環境の急速な変化で「将来像を描きにくい」などの可能性も指摘した。

■英訳　

An increasing number of young working men are expressing a desire for early retirement, according to a survey conducted this year by a private research firm. This trend is emerging in an era of declining birthrates and an aging population, where even individuals nearing retirement age are still considered to be in their prime working years. What factors are driving this shift in mindset among younger generations?

The survey, titled the "Survey on Employment and Growth of 10,000 Workers," was conducted by Persol Research and Consulting and targeted 10,000 men and women between the ages of 15 and 69 across Japan. The survey has been carried out annually since 2017, typically between February and March, and focuses on attitudes towards work.

In response to the question "Until what age do you want to work?", the average answer for men in their 20s was 58.0 years, and for men in their 30s, it was 62.4 years. When the survey was first conducted in 2017, these averages were 63.8 and 66.6 years, respectively, indicating that the desired retirement age has decreased by more than four years.

Additionally, the proportion of men in their 20s who wished to retire by the age of 50 or earlier increased from 13.7% in 2017 to 29.1%. Similarly, the percentage of men in their 30s who wanted to retire by the age of 55 or earlier doubled from 14.3% to 28.1%.

The survey showed that retirement preferences for women in their 20s and 30s, as well as for men and women over 40, have remained relatively stable. Mari Kanemoto, a researcher at Persol Research and Consulting, noted that "the increase in early retirement desires is particularly noticeable among men in their 20s and 30s."

Why are young men aiming for early retirement? When asked about their reasons, the top response for both men in their 20s (29.9%) and 30s (31.8%) was "I don’t like working." The second most common reason was "I want to enrich my personal life, including time with family, friends, or hobbies" (20s: 16.7%, 30s: 20.9%).

A shift in the reasons for early retirement has also been observed. One notable change is the increased response of "I have enough savings for life after retirement." Compared to the 2020 survey, this reason has grown by about five percentage points to 13.8% among men in their 20s, and by six percentage points to 14.6% among men in their 30s. Kanemoto attributes this to the rising popularity of financial independence and early retirement (FIRE) movements, where individuals accumulate wealth through investments, as well as the growing prevalence of dual-income households, which may reduce the need for men to be the sole breadwinners.

Kanemoto also pointed out that the desire for early retirement among young men does not necessarily reflect a lack of motivation towards work. Rather, it seems to indicate a growing emphasis on prioritizing personal life and adapting to rapid changes in the job market, such as the decline of traditional Japanese lifetime employment, which has made it harder for young people to envision their long-term future.

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