Japan Press Weekly

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2015 November 11 - 17 [LABOR]

Large firms benefiting from Abenomics increase low-paying, unstable non-regular jobs

Data that the labor ministry released on November 4 indicated that large corporations are playing a role as the driving force in expanding the number of non-regular workers.

The ministry’s 2014 “General Survey on Diversified Types of Employment” became the first available government statistical analysis which showed that the percentage of non-regular workers out of the total workforce in Japan reached 40%. This triennial survey asks corporations about changes in the percentage of contingent employees.

In response to the question whether the rate of non-regular workers has increased compared to 2011, 40.1% of business establishments with more than 1,000 employees, 34.9% of those with 300 to 999 employees, and 29.2% of those with 100 to 299 employees answered “Yes.” In contrast, among establishments with 5 to 29 employees, only 12.6% said “Yes.”

Large firms have been enjoying record profits from the weak yen and high share prices which were accelerated under PM Abe’s economic policies. Nevertheless, they have increased the numbers of low-paid, unstable non-regular jobs.

The Abe administration is now planning to further provide preferential treatment to large businesses with a further lowering of corporate taxes. However, there is no guarantee that this will lead to an increase in stable employment.

Past related article:
> Use of non-regular workers to cut labor costs clarified in government data [November 6, 2015]