Tag - nonregular-workers

 
 

NONREGULAR WORKERS

Beyond factors such as the "motherhood penalty," Japanese women struggle to advance in their careers due to the structure of the workforce, including the two-tiered clerical versus managerial track.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 6, 2024
Why is it taking so long to break the glass ceiling?
Japan isn't unique in having a thick glass ceiling, but some factors don't apply to other countries, like the U.S., where many more managers are women.
Spot workers who choose when and where to work through dedicated apps during their free time are seen as a new pool of human resources in industry sectors that have faced labor shortages.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 4, 2023
Number of 'spot workers' surges in Japan amid labor shortage
The work style has gained popularity due to the flexibility it offers: individuals can choose when and where to work through dedicated apps.
University students attend a job fair. If Japanese companies continue hiring people based on the university they graduated from, acquiring extra qualifications or reskilling won't impact candidates' job prospects.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 29, 2023
Kishida’s stimulus package needs rethinking, not reskilling
The government aims to promote reskilling for nonregular workers to boost their job prospects, but this won't matter if hiring practices don't change.
"The Ones Left Behind" documents the successes and struggles of single mothers in Japan.
PODCAST / deep dive
Nov 2, 2023
Why single mothers in Japan have been left behind
Filmmaker Rionne McAvoy joins us to discuss the hidden poverty present in one of the world’s richest nations.
The new invoice system, which goes into effect Oct. 1, is forcing many freelancers in Japan to choose between raising their prices or suffer a 10% loss in revenue.
COMMUNITY / How-tos
Sep 25, 2023
Freelancers aren’t happy with Japan’s new invoice system
For many freelancers and small businesses, the result will amount to a 10% increase in taxes.
Currently, part-timers lose their status as dependents if their annual income surpasses ¥1.3 million, requiring them to pay social insurance premiums.
JAPAN
Sep 24, 2023
Japan mulls relief measures for dependent part-timers
Currently, part-timers lose their status as dependents if their annual income surpasses ¥1.3 million, requiring them to pay social insurance premiums.
Women work in a warehouse in on the outskirts of Chennai, India.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Sep 5, 2023
India's women gig workers organize with WhatsApp and secret meetings
Once seen as promising greater autonomy and higher earnings for women in India, the system is now riddled with issues.
The income gap remained wide among Japanese households in 2021, but the labor ministry said measures to keep unemployment low helped prevent the gap from widening further.
JAPAN
Aug 23, 2023
Japan's household income gap neared record high amid pandemic
A key parameter for measuring income inequalities, known as the Gini coefficient, came to 0.5700, worsening 0.0106 point from the previous study in 2017.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 14, 2023
Despite surging incomes, Japanese women earn 75% less than men
Around 70% of female workers are employed in part-time or nonpermanent jobs, which often mean lower pay and fewer opportunities for advancement.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 11, 2023
Japan considers new child-rearing allowance for nonregular workers
The envisioned allowance is aimed at reducing economic burdens on workers not covered by the country's child care leave system.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 1, 2022
Japan's tight jobs market fails to deliver on egalitarian promise
The emergence of the freelance class poses a challenge to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who has pledged to redistribute wealth through wage hikes.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 6, 2022
Elon Musk’s office mandate and recession fears complicate new work era
For the past few years, many white-collar workers have grown accustomed to greater flexibility in where and when they work, but today's recession fears may change that.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 23, 2022
The jobs — and aging faces — behind South Korea's record low unemployment numbers
The country logged a record-setting run of low unemployment through February, at 2.7%, with almost half of the job increases driven by people 60 and older.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 2, 2021
Is a CEO worth 1,000 times the median worker?
What now gets disclosed is often subject to manipulation, presumably to make the numbers look better.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
May 16, 2021
Government panel warns of widening gender gap in Japan due to pandemic
In a report, the panel of experts said the crisis has led to an increase in domestic violence cases and suicides among women, while also hitting them harder financially.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 24, 2021
80% of workers in Japan's creative industries have been harassed within last decade
Some sexual harassment victims complained of unreasonable requests for nudity, while others said they were pressured to give sexual favors in exchange for jobs.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 13, 2021
The uneasy state of Japan’s welfare system
The LDP and business community have been undermining Japan's lifetime employment system in order to make it easier for employers to hire and fire, and to set salaries to their liking.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 5, 2021
Foreign workers hit hard by pandemic despite record number
The number of foreign workers in Japan hit a record high of 1,724,328 as of October 2020, increasing 4.0% from a year earlier.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 19, 2021
Nissan to promote Japan-based contract workers to full-time status
About 800 contract workers will become full-time employees from April, as the firm looks also to abolish its system of hiring contract staff.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 15, 2020
Japan's top court rules against denying allowances to fixed-term employees
The top court's judgment in favor of nonregular workers came two days after its rulings against them in two other cases.

Longform

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores