Shii comments on 'jobless recovery'

An annual government report says that an increase in corporate profits has not helped create jobs.

On June 29, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) released the 2004 White Paper on International Trade, pointing out that an employee's income in the 1990s was linked to an employer's profits, but after that period, improvement of the economy has not induced employers to create more jobs.

Concerning workers' income, the White Paper says that since the Koizumi Cabinet was inaugurated in April 2001, there has been a tendency that employee compensation does not rise with operating surplus.

Commenting on the report on the same day, Japanese Communist Party Executive Committee Chair Shii Kazuo stated, "It is serious that the government has admitted that the economy only appears recovering, and the living conditions are not getting better."

Noting that the White Paper states that the situation in Japan resembles the jobless recovery in the United States, Shii said, "In the last five years, the number of full-time jobs decreased by four million, while 3.7 million unstable jobs have been created. In particular, young workers are forced to work under harsh working conditions."

"Undermining the foundations for decent work or living standards has nothing to do with 'reform'. Without a policy that will focus on bringing back a decent life, it will be impossible in the long term for Japan to create sound economic growth," emphasized Shii. (end)