The JIL Labor FlashVol.11
Email Journal 17.01.2002
A New Year Message from the JIL chairman
Statistical Reports
Recent Statistical Survey Reports
Current Topics
Latest Labor Union Membership Figures
Public Policies
The FY2002 Government Budget Proposal and its Characteristics
News Clippings
Toyota Unveils a "New Model" for its Personnel Assessment Setup ...etc
Special Issue
Work Sharing, the First Important Labor Topic of 2002
A New Year Message from the JIL chairman
Dear friends,
I wish you health, happiness and fulfillment in the year of 2002.
Last year started new Millennium with full of hope but ended up in
fear and dismay after the tragedy in New York.The world economic
focus is still pessimistic and we even anticipate more hunger and
spread of disease in certain parts of the world although we have
recently observed some good sign in some parts.
In general we are afraid of further developing discrepancy and conflicts
as a result of growing uneven distribution of wealth both in national
and international scale together with the threat of increasing environmental
derogation in world-wide scale.
Thus we expect the growing importance of our efforts to promote health
and welfare of working people as well as decent working life of all
people on this earth. The world of labor in facing to the tremendous
challenge caused by serious economic problems, tremendous change of
technology, globalization, needs for fundamental reexamination of the
traditional approach of industrial relations and human resource management.
We are facing to the needs of drastic transformation of such basic
principles and concepts of employer and employee, regular v. non-regular,
typical v. atypical labor, tripartite social partnership etc.
Today we realize the needs of further development of comparative research
and studies, exchange of ideas and experiences from different parts
of the world in the field of labor. Our task is not an easy one. But the
harder our task is the more fruits we can expect.
The Japan Institute of Labor will continue to strengthen our efforts
for study, research, collection and distribution of data and information,
international exchange and joint work in the field of labor and wish your
kind support and close working relationship in this year.
Professor Dr. Tadashi Hanami, Chairman
Statistical Reports
-Recent Statistical Survey Reports-
Features
Basic Survey on Labour Unions (2001)
Report on Employment Service (November)
Family Income and Expenditure Survey (November) ...etc
http://www.jil.go.jp/estatis/e2001-12.htm
Current Topics
-Latest Labor Union Membership Figures-
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare announced the results of
their latest Basic Survey on Labor Unions late last year.
According to the survey, total labor union membership in Japan was 11,
212,000 persons, or 20.7% of all working people. Union membership has
declined in all industries, in all union size categories, and in all
major union confederations.
Among the major labor unions, membership of the Japanese Trade Union
Confederation (Rengo) declined by 195,000 from the previous year,
falling to 7,120,000 persons (down 2.7%); membership of the National
Confederation of Trade Unions (Zenroren) fell by 24,000 to 1,012,000
persons (down 2.3%); and National Trade Union Council (Zenrokyo)
membership fell by 11,000 to 250,000 persons (down 4.1%).
Declining labor union membership can be attributed in part to the
large-scale employee cuts being undertaken by the corporate majors.
Something clearly must be done to prevent labor union membership from
falling below 20% of all workers.
Public Policies
-The FY2002 Government Budget Proposal and its Characteristics-
Prime Minister Koizumi's Cabinet, to balance the national budget
and undertake structural reforms as top priority while addressing
problems of a burgeoning deficit and an aging population, announced
the national budgetary proposal for FY2002 on December 24, 2001.
Total fiscal expenditure, at 81.23 trillion yen, fell 1.7% from the
previous fiscal year.
The government, which only just kept its campaign promise of limiting
government bond issues to under 30 trillion yen, announced the first
budgetary proposal in four years to curtail spending, despite vocal
opposition claiming that economic stimulus designed to halt the
recession is more important than reform at this stage.
Continued on;
http://www.jil.go.jp/english/archives/emm/2001-2003/2002a/vol.11/fy2002.html
News Clippings
-Toyota Unveils a "New Model" for its Personnel Assessment Setup-
Toyota Motor announced that it will greatly redefine the scope of
Group or Section Managers' opertions. In the past, the primary requirement
of Toyota managers lay in their ability to both lead and be a part
of the staff, i.e., do the same work as their subordinates. Beginning
January 1, 2002, Group and Section Managers will be expected to show
both administrative and leadership skills. Assessment of managers will
now include their ability to educate and train subordinates. The post
will be renamed as "Group Leader." Under the new system, managers will
also be required to help their subordinates by finding the best career
path for them and enhancing their motivation.
Toyota introduced this new personnel assessment system because, while
they recognize the importance of a results-oriented approach, they also
believe that personal accomplishments at the managerial level are not
the only factor that leads to improved corporate performance.
Toyota recorded the highest consolidated ordinary profit figure in
its history in its September 2001 interim consolidated balance statement.
Asked why the company is planning to introduce this change when it is
performing so well, Toyota explains that a company becomes stronger
when organizational and personal goals mesh. Many companies in Japan
are introducing a results-oriented approach as their performance declines.
The choice made by Toyota, which is diametrically opposed to such a
path, can therefore be expected to make a significant impact on Japan's
corporate culture.
(Asahi Shimbun, January)
-Self-Defense Forces Privates Becoming More Highly Educated-
With the unemployment rate exceeding 5%, many university graduates
are applying to become Privates in the Self-Defense Forces, a path
open in principle to high school graduates. In 2000, university and
college graduates accounted for 12.5% of all Self-Defense Forces Privates,
up from just 1.0% in 1990. According to Defense Agency figures, university
and college/technical college graduates accounted for between 1.0% and
1.7% of all Privates in the years 1990 through 1993, but this percentage
began increasing rapidly after the Bubble Economy burst, reaching 4.6%
in 1994 and exceeding 10% in 1999.
A recruitment officer for the Defense Agency points out that the
lingering recession is resulting in greater numbers of applications
to join the Self-Defense Forces by more highly educated students.
The recruitment officer says that they no longer have to pay house
calls to encourage applications: now, they only need to post notices
at schools. A Self-Defense Forces field officer points that this
situation is completely new, creating unforeseen problems, such as
that of veteran Self-Defense Forces members having to give orders
to lower-ranking but better-educated recruits.
(Sankei Shimbun, January)
-Corporate Presidents Getting Younger: Average Age now 53-
Nihon Keizai Shimbun compiled a study of 97 major corporations that
announced new presidents in the latter half of 2001 (July 1 through
December 28). According to this study, the average age of the new
presidents was 53.2, which was 2.9 years younger than that for the same
period last year. Although the percentage of presidents promoted from
the position of vice president increased, corporations are now tending
to appoint younger vice presidents in their attempts to push through
structural reforms. By age, new presidents in their 50s increased by
4.3% over the same period in the previous year to reach 44.3%; new
presidents in their 40s increased 3.6% to 21.6%; and new presidents
in their 30s increased 7.3% to 9.3%. With this increase in the percentage
of younger presidents came a corresponding decrease in the percentage
of older presidents. New presidents in their 60s declined 12.3% to 23.7%.
(Nihon Keizai Shimbun, January)
Special Issue
-Work Sharing, the First Important Labor Topic of 2002-
Newspapers in the opening days of 2002 were filled with articles
that reviewed the accomplishments of Prime Minister Koizumi in his
first eight months in office and focused on prospects for reform and
economic recovery.
With the economy in a mildly deflationary and lingering recession
and with the labor market sputtering as a result, there is little
reason to believe that the Shunto spring labor negotiations in 2002
will result in significant wage increases. Because of this, attention
in the labor market has turned to work sharing.
Continued on;
http://www.jil.go.jp/english/archives/emm/2001-2003/2002a/vol.11/worksharing.html
