Japan Press Weekly

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2016 February 24 - March 1 [LABOR]

Contingent workers’ lifetime wages are half of regular workers’

The amount of lifetime earnings of contingent workers in Japan is only about half of that of regular workers, Akahata reported on February 26.

Based on the 2015 Basic Survey on Wage Structure published by the Labor Ministry, Akahata calculated how much wages workers earn in 45 years from the age of 20.

The trial calculation shows that a regular worker earns 232.29 million yen on average, while a contingent worker makes 127.49 million yen, around 55% of a regular worker.

By sex, the amount of wages paid to a male regular worker in his lifetime is 250.79 million yen, while a male non-regular worker is paid 146.15 million yen. A female regular employee earns 185.19 million yen in her lifetime, while a female non-regular worker makes 111.44 million yen.

Meanwhile, the average annual income of non-regular employees at small businesses employing less than 10 workers is 70.9% of that of regular employees. In contrast, the average yearly income of irregular workers at large corporations with more than 1,000 employees is only 47.5% of permanent workers.

This indicates that as the size of business increases, the wage gap between regular and non-regular workers widens.

In order to pull the Japanese economy out of the prolonged consumer recession, it is vital to establish a rule ensuring equal treatment as well as help contingent workers to secure full-time regular jobs.

Past related article:
> Pay gaps between regular and non-regular workers in Japan greater than in EU [September 3, 2015]