Momoko Suzuki quit her sales job in Tokyo and took a temporary position so she could pursue her film ambitions. Suzuki's employment change may force her to abandon another goal — owning a home.

"I am single and I am a temporary worker, which makes buying a home even more difficult," said Suzuki, who makes 60 percent of the ¥4 million a year she used to earn selling ferry trips.

The ranks of temporary and part-time workers are set to rapidly expand, jeopardizing the housing recovery that took hold in 2010. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Cabinet is pushing to open more of the economy to nonpermanent employees as part of a package of policies to make Japanese companies more competitive and boost economic growth.