NEWSWORTHY
Japanese firms likely to expand year-round hiring of university graduates
Keidanren, the nation's top business lobby, and Japanese universities are expected to agree to let more companies introduce year-round hiring of new graduates, sources have said. Officials from the two sides, set to meet on Monday, are likely to agree to review the current practice ...
40% of Japan's health insurance unions on course to dissolve by 2022 as costs for elderly rise
Over 40 percent of health insurance unions known as kenpo, mainly for employees of large companies, are facing increased pressure to dissolve themselves by fiscal 2022, reflecting sharp increases projected for their contributions to the medical system for the elderly, it was learned Thursday. The ...
77% of Japanese firms say they don't discriminate against foreign workers in terms of pay
Nearly 80 percent of companies pay their foreign employees equal or higher wages compared with their Japanese staff, a think tank survey showed Wednesday. The Japan Research Institute said corporate managers generally welcome the new visa system to accept more foreigners staff — mostly for ...
Moves are afoot among major convenience store chains to review the uniform 24-hour operation of their stores, the standard industry practice since Seven-Eleven Japan Co. started it a year after it opened its first outlet in 1974. The sustainability of 24-hour operations came under ...
Japan's working ranks are still thinning, despite accelerating growth in foreign population
Although the total population had fallen by 263,000 people as of October, Japan’s working-age population shrank by 512,000 last year.
Foreign student numbers don't tell whole tale
The government's goal of strategically attracting outstanding students from abroad under its plan to accept 300,000 foreign students is far from accomplished.
Record 35.4% of new hires for Japan's civil service are women, exceeding government target
The Japanese government hired 2,876 women in fiscal 2019, lifting their ratio to all hires beyond its previous high of 34.5 percent marked in fiscal 2016.
Japan to draw up plans to support workers stuck in nonregular employment in their 30s and 40s
The government has decided to draw up a program aimed at facilitating stable employment of nonregular workers in their 30s and 40s who were unable to obtain regular positions upon graduation from universities or other educational institutions due to the tough job market at ...
Uneasy about the economy, some small U.S. businesses hold off on hiring, tap freelancers
Samantha Martin does most of the annual hiring for her public relations firm in the first quarter. But not this year — clients worried about a slowing economy are cutting their budgets, and Martin has in turn scaled back her own plans. "Our clients are ...
Nichii Gakkan says more closures to come after shuttering 50 Coco Juku English schools across Japan
Nichii Gakkan wrote in a statement it decided to close most of the language schools as they were deemed unlikely to turn a profit.
While the government's new work-style reform measures mark a first step toward curbing the excessively long working hours of many corporate employees, it only sets the baseline from which each firm needs to make further efforts to cut employees' work hours.
Number of people with disabilities working at Japanese firms tops 500,000 for first time
The number of people with disabilities working at private-sector companies in Japan as of June 1 last year topped 500,000 for the first time, a survey by the labor ministry has showed. The number of workers with disabilities increased 7.9 percent from the previous year ...
