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Increase in job offers is mainly for short-term employment

Although the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry emphasizes that the job market is improving, citing the ratio of job offers to job seekers last December was balanced for the first time in 13 years, the number of job offers is increasing mostly in part-time jobs (1:1.4) while the ratio in regular jobs is 1:0.65.

In 1992, the percentage of part-time jobs to total job offers was 16.3 percent, but it rose to 31.8 percent in 2005.

Sasaki Shozo, standing director of the Association of Worker Education commented: "Job offers are increasing mostly in non-regular jobs. Even in Aichi Prefecture with the highest job availability nationwide, 30-40 percent of assembly line workers at Toyota Motors are seasonal workers, in some cases the percentage exceeding 50 percent. The government has the responsibility to change its policy to one of increasing regular jobs and making large corporations fulfill their social responsibilities, including equal treatment between regular and non-regular workers based on the principle of an equal wage for equal labor."

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The unemployment statistics for December released by the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry showed that the unemployment rate slightly declined slightly from the preceding month to 4.4 percent, but the level is twice that of 13 years ago. The average unemployment rate in 2005 for men under age 24 was a record 9.9 percent.
- Akahata, February 1, 2006