matto wrote:
Let's face it. Everytime companies say they can't fill jobs what they really mean is they can't fill jobs because they are not willing to adjust salaries upwards enough to make it easier to find people for those jobs.
This.
I'm not surprised that health care is on the list of top 10. My wife is a nurse and it's the same thing. For the amount of work she does, she could probably get paid double if we moved to North America. Hospitals (at least in this area) are desperate for nursing staff yet they only want to pay "average" salaries, and then even those nurses they have, they treat horribly until they quit or commit suicide. And as Japan ages even more, the demand for doctors and nurses is going to just go through the roof (although I still doubt that salaries will increase).
I've heard the nursing market is actually small and that the "dire need for nurses" has been over-exaggerated by the nursing market/schools in the US.
Part of the reason why doctors don't make large amounts of money though is because the system is public. Its a universal health care system which locks the price of things solidly. Compared to the US where they can charge $300 for a doctor visit over a cold; you simply can't do that in Japan. This is actually why if you ever get sick or need to stay any amount of time in a hospital in Japan, you are usually pressured to stay a fair amount of time. Similar thing with any dentistry work. The payouts from the UHS is small, but by multiple visits/longer stays, they can get more of out it.
Doctors in Japan tend to work some harsh hours for their pay so I read somewhere. You can't have a decent healthcare system and doctors getting rich from huge pay. If you do, then likely there are people not receiving enough healthcare unfortunately. You have to stop and look how much doctors have to pay for schooling though; thats important.
I like Japan's healthcare system though and am constantly astounded by how much I pay for medicine and doctor visits. Its affordable and it should stay that way. You shouldn't have to be faced with a dilemma of large debts or bad health.
Last edited by vix86 (2012 June 08, 1:38 am)