In the ongoing discussion about workplace abuse, the media has advanced yet another new term. "Black baito" modifies the already popular phrase "black kigyō," which are companies that manipulate or ignore labor standards in order to get employees to work overtime without pay. "Baito" is an abbreviation of arbeit, the German word that in Japan stands for part-time work, so "black baito" refers specifically to part-time workers.

A recent feature in the Tokyo Shimbun described the issue in detail using as examples young people who attend Tokyo's Waseda University. One, a male senior, works for a "major clothing chain" where "overtime is prohibited." He explains that if an employee works more hours than his shift designates, he has to submit a shimatsusho (written apology), but it's usually "impossible" to complete assignments within his work shift, so he goes back to work for no pay after punching out. This is called "service baito," a neologism extrapolated from the term "service zangyō" (unpaid overtime).

A female junior who works for a "major coffee shop chain" testifies that every day she works at least "an extra 15 minutes" without pay after her store closes for the day, and often as much as 45 minutes. She's never paid for this time. A female senior who teaches at a cram school is compelled to meet with students out of class to discuss "summer seminars" in an effort to get them to sign up for them. She is not compensated for these meetings.