Toshiba Corp. is planning to allow 16,700 workers to take second jobs while they are on temporary leave due to production cuts, company officials said Thursday.
The move is likely to spread across the industry as companies scramble to avoid further layoffs by taking exceptional steps to combat the deepening global economic downturn.
The semiconductor unit of Fujitsu Ltd. is also allowing its workers to take side jobs, which is normally prohibited, after adopting a work-sharing system in January.
The affected employees at Toshiba include those who will be on temporary leave from February to March in its struggling semiconductor and liquid crystal display divisions.
It will apply to the firm's semiconductor factories in the city of Oita and Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, as well as workers at its LCD production plant in Fukaya, Saitama Prefecture, the officials said.
Whether the measure will continue after April will depend on the level of future orders, they said.