Japan Press Weekly

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2012 August 29 - September 4 [LABOR]

More become contingent workers or unemployed in disaster-hit areas

In the 3.11 disaster-affected prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima, more and more workers have become contingent workers or have lost their jobs, a Cabinet Office survey showed.

The survey found that 50% of workers in the three prefectures had full-time positions before the massive earthquake and tsunami on March 11, but the rate decreased to 37.5% after the disaster. The rate of non-regular workers increased to 28.4 from 26%. Among people aged between 20 and 39, the rate of those who have no jobs jumped to almost double from 12.5% to 25%.

While the percentage of full-time workers aged 60 and over drastically dropped to 15% from 55%, and the unemployment rate in this age category showed a twofold increase to 40%. The rate of non-regular workers also increased to 35% from 15%.

Regarding the survey results, this year’s white paper on the economy and public finance pointed out that those who had to relocate their homes after the disaster have lost their full-time jobs.

Meanwhile, a private credit-research firm, Tokyo Shoko Research, Ltd., announced that as of the end of July, the number of disaster-related bankruptcy of businesses reached 875.

In the manufacturing industry, 206 companies went bankrupt due to the impact of the quake and tsunami of March 11 last year. In the service industry, including lodging and restaurants, 197 owners gave up their business. The number of failed firms in the wholesale industry was 161 and reached 127 in the construction industry.