A labor ministry survey has shown that 42.3 percent of people in their early 60s hope to work part time even after reaching the retirement age of 65.
The survey on elderly employment, released Friday, also showed that 61.0 percent of companies are able to offer part-time positions to such people.
The government plans to submit to next year’s regular Diet session a bill to revise the law for stable elderly employment to require firms to make efforts for securing jobs for workers after they reach the age of 70.
An advisory panel subcommittee under the ministry is working to draw up details of the amendment.
The survey covered people age 60 to 64 who earned incomes from jobs as of June. With multiple answers allowed, 18.6 percent said they want to work as regular employees after they reach 65, while 13.8 percent said they hoped to be contract workers.
Meanwhile, 65.4 percent said they want to continue working at their current companies since regulations there allow employees over 65 to keep working.
Only 27.8 percent of companies said they are able to offer regular positions for elderly workers, while many are ready to hire elderly people as contract workers or offer other nonregular jobs.
The proportion of firms planning to provide the elderly with entrepreneurship support and that of companies considering letting them work on loan at other companies — both among options that businesses would be required to study under the revised law — stood below 3 percent, the survey found.