Japan Press Weekly

Tweet

2011 December 14 - 20 [LABOR]

Percentage of non-regular workers mark record high

The percentage of non-regular workers, including part-timers, out of total company employees increased by 3.5 percentage points to 34.4%, a record-high since 1990 when such a survey began, announced the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry on December 14.

In comparison with the previous survey in 2006, the percentage of male non-regular workers increased to 20.3%, a 4.6 percentage points increase while the percentage of female is 54.4%, up by 1.9 percentage points. Among industries surveyed, the hotel and restaurant industries employ the highest proportion of contingent workers, accounting for 62.7% of workers in these industries.

The survey included an inquiry regarding how companies revised their labor practices after the enforcement of the 2008 law banning discriminatory treatment against part-time workers who do the same job as full-time workers and whose contract is open-ended.

Companies which responded claiming that they implemented measures to improve employment management were 48.4%. Of them, 60.3% said that they began to give part-time workers a document stating working conditions and wages, conditions for pay increase, and retirement allowance.

The ministry in June sent inquiries in regard to the employment situations of part-time workers to 9,769 companies across Japan which hire more than 5 workers on a permanent basis. The three prefectures affected by the 3.11 disaster were excluded.