The Japan Labor Flash No.70
Email Journal October 2, 2006
Statistical Reports
Main Labor Economic Indicators
TANKAN
Current Topics
77% of Salaried Workers in Baby-Boom Generation to Continue Working
after 60
Labor Union Regular Conferences: UI Zensen Domei Announces It Organizes
100,000 New Members ; JAM Resolves to Oppose "White-Collar Exemption"
Public Policies
Annual Report on Health, and Labour Welfare Proposes "Chain of Mutual
Support" through Revision of Working Styles and Participation in
Local Activities
Japan to Accept Filipino Nurses and Caregivers under Bilateral EPA
News Clippings
Male Workers Required to Take Two-Week Child-Care Leave
Domestic Airlines Cope with Mass Retirement of Baby-Boomers
Special Issue
Good-bye to the Koizumi Administration
Statistical Reports
-Main Labor Economic Indicators-
http://www.jil.go.jp/english/estatis/eshuyo/200610/index.htm
-TANKAN-
Short-term Economic Survey of Entereprises in Japan
-October 2, Monday, released by the Bank of Japan
http://www.boj.or.jp/en/type/stat/boj_stat/tk/yoshi/tk0609.htm
Current Topics
-77% of Salaried Workers in Baby-Boom Generation to Continue Working
after 60-
In September, Dentsu inc. published the results of a survey (carried
out in August) addressed to 657 households with salaried workers who
will reach age 60 in 2007. Approximately 60 percent of the respondents
decided to change their jobs or lifestyle for the next year. Fifty
-eight percent of them gave priority in their decision to themselves,
the income earners, while 32 percent discussed the matter with their
spouses. Seventy-seven percent of husbands surveyed chose to continue
to be employed, and 75 percent chose to stay in the companies for
which they were currently working. Those who decided not to work anymore
accounted for 6 percent. Forty-seven percent were planning to work
full-time, and 40 percent to work part-time or as "arubaito"
workers.
The expected (average) annual household income up to age 65 was 4.767
million yen.
US$=118yen (October 2, 2006)
-Labor Union Regular Conferences: UI Zensen Domei Announces It Organizes
100,000 New Members ; JAM Resolves to Oppose "White-Collar Exemption"-
On September 13 and 14, UI Zensen Domei (the Japanese Federation of
Textile, Chemical, Food, Commercial, Service and General Workers'
Unions), the largest private industry union, held its regular conference
in Matsuyama city, Ehime prefecture, to determine its action plan for
fiscal years 2007-08. The union has unionized a record high number of
workers, approximately 100,000 in all, over the past year, approximately
78,500 of them part-time workers. The number of union members at the
time of the conference totaled 947,000.
UI Zensen Domei decided to salvage a number of small labor unions
which are on the brink of dissolution due to the absence of proper
leadership by grouping them into "regional general unions."
In the meantime, JAM, an industrial union comprised of unions in
the metal industry and various small and medium-sized one's, held its
regular conference on August 30 and 31 in Shizuoka prefecture, at
which it decided on a "Action Policy for fiscal year 2007" focused
on its spring wage negotiations on rectifying wage differentials,
and adopted a "resolution opposing adoption of the self-regulated
working hours system (white-collar exemption)," a controversial issue
involving revision of labor-related laws.
Public Policies
-Annual Report on Health, and Labour Welfare Proposes "Chain of Mutual
Support" through Revision of Working Styles and Participation in
Local
Activities-
On September 8, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare published
its annual White Paper on Health, and Labour Welfare 2006. The White
Paper calls for realization of a society where people can feel a "chain
of mutual support," based on the social security system which is
a type
of safety net. Thus, (1) people who are eager to work continue to work
and make use of their abilities; (2) working styles are reconsidered
so that workers have enough time to spend with their family and local
community; (3) in their local community, each person participates in
activities which match their interests; and as a result (4) all members
of society, through supporting each other, enjoy a heightened sense of
satisfaction and fulfillment.
-Japan to Accept Filipino Nurses and Caregivers under Bilateral EPA-
In September, Prime Minister (at that time) Junichiro Koizumi and
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo signed an Economic Partnership
Agreement (EPA) focusing on a bilateral free trade agreement.
The agreement will pave the way for free trade in goods and services
and liberalization of investment; encourage mobility of human resources;
and facilitate comprehensive economic collaboration. It also incorporates
an arrangement for Filipino nurses and caregivers to engage in their
professions in Japan upon acquiring official Japanese qualifications.
This is the first EPA in which Japan has agreed to open up part of its
labor market.
The Japanese government will submit the agreement to an extraordinary
Diet session in the fall to obtain ratification by the legislatures;
if all goes smoothly, the agreement is expected to take effect next
spring.
News Clippings
-Male Workers Required to Take Two-Week Child-Care Leave-
Starting in October, the Japan General Estate Co., Ltd., a mid-size
condominium developer, is to upgrade its child-care support program
so that male employees will be required to take (paid) child-care
leave for a maximum of two weeks.
The company already had a mandatory scheme of a five-day special
(paid) leave called "special leave for childbirth by spouse."
Now,
by adding the five-day (paid) "child-care leave" to the scheme,
it
will be possible for employees whose wives have given birth to take
leave for 14 consecutive days, including weekends.
The new program, if not used together with the "special leave for
childbirth by spouse," will be available until the end of the April
after the baby reaches age two. Upon completion of the leave,
employees are required to submit a report. Apart from this program,
Japan General Estate Co. also makes shorter-working hour and flex-time
systems available for employees with pre-school children. With an
average age of 31.9 among its employees, and a high proportion of
females, the firm offers a variety of choices of working styles.
(Nikkei Sangyo Shimbun, September)
-Domestic Airlines Cope with Mass Retirement of Baby-Boomers-
To deal with the "Year 2007 Problem" arising from the mass mandatory
retirement of the baby-boom generation, domestic airlines have begun
to step up training of young aircraft mechanics.
All Nippon Airways Co., Ltd. has built a new training facility within
its aircraft hangar at Haneda Airport. Although the new facility is
to be used for training programs somewhat different from the traditional
ones, in which mechanics learned work skills by observing their superiors,
the firm aims for efficient training within a short period of time; the
training of young mechanics is an urgent task since it takes approximately
ten years before a mechanic is considered fully qualified.
In April, JAL Narita Aircraft Maintenance Co., Ltd., an affiliate
of Japan Airlines, launched a "NAN demo Juku" (lit. a "school
teaching
anything" ) for its mechanics with five years or more of experience
who plan to take a national examination to qualify as "First-Grade
Aircraft Mechanics." In this school system, mechanics with 20 years
of experience provide tutoring once or twice a month. The final
confirmation of pre-flight inspection must be made by mechanics with
this qualification. With the number of flight services expected to
increase, JAL is alarmed, saying that the mass retirement of baby
-boomers could create a situation where they are unable to provide
services because of a shortage of qualified mechanics.
(Nihon Keizai Shimbun, September)
Special Issue
-Good-bye to the Koizumi Administration-
On September 26, the Koizumi Administration's term expired;
Mr. Koizumi was in office for approximately five and a half years.
Incidentally, the Japan Labor Flash was first released a few months
after he took office.
Continued on;
http://www.jil.go.jp/english/archives/emm/2003/no.70/70_si.html
