The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry proposed Thursday abolishing the three-year limit on temporary workers to make it easier for companies to employ them.

The ministry filed the proposal with a panel of the Labor Policy Council, an advisory body to the labor minister, for discussion.

Currently, temporary workers are only allowed to fill specific positions for up to three years. The ministry's proposal would allow companies to replace "expiring" workers with new ones dispatched by staffing companies.

The ministry plans to submit the proposal to the Diet when the 150-day regular session opens next month, officials said.

Labor groups, led by the Japanese Trade Union Confederation (Rengo), are expected to oppose the revision.

Currently, 26 specialist fields, including interpreters and office automation equipment operators, are exempt from the three-year limit. In other fields, companies can hire temporary workers basically for one year but a maximum period of three years.

The ministry's proposal calls for abolishing the specialist exemptions and setting the limit for temporary workers at three years.