The JIL Labor Flash Vol.13
Email Journal 15.02.2002
Statistical Reports
Recent Statistical Survey Reports
Current Topics
Canon to Introduce New Salary Scheme ...etc
Public Policies
Individual Labor Dispute Law
News Clippings
Making it Easier for Men to Care for Children ...etc
Special Issue
Characteristics of Unemploymen
Statistical Reports
-Recent Statistical Survey Reports-
Features
Survey on Situation of Preliminary Offer of Hiring of New Graduate
in Mar.2002 (Senior and Junior High School)
Monthly Labour Survey (Provisional Report in December and 2001)
2nd Basic Complete Tabulation of the Population Census (2000) ...etc
http://www.jil.go.jp/estatis/e2002-01.html
Current Topics
-Canon to Introduce New Salary Scheme-
This April, Canon will introduce a new salary scheme for its employees.
Periodic, age- and work history-linked salary raises, as well as family
and home allowances, are to be abolished.
Among issues that are making the introduction of work sharing difficult
in Japan is the presence of "lifestyle allowances" and seniority systems
that apply to full employees but not to part-time employees. These practices
result in part-time employees being paid less than full employees, even
for equivalent work.
Canon's decision is not directly related to its attempts to introduce
work sharing. However, the focus of the forthcoming Shunto negotiations
will rest upon (1) the maintenance of periodic salary increases, (2) the
introduction of work sharing arrangements, and (3) the signing of a unified
employment agreement (see JLF Vol.12 http://www.jil.go.jp/english/archives/emm/index.html).
The present decision made by a successful company like Canon-enjoying
unprecedented success now-is also likely to affect how other companies
address their needs.
-Base Salary Increase Demands at the Shunto Negotiations-
The Japanese Federation of Textile, Garment, Chemical, Mercantile, and
Allied Industry Workers' Unions (Zensen) (membership: 580,000) announced
its negotiation policy heading into the 2002 Shunto spring labor negotiations.
Zensen will seek primarily to maintain the present salary structure and
seek additional gains if possible. Although Zensen decided not to make
a unified demand for base salary increases, it did include among the
"additional gains" 500-1,000 yen base salary increases for "standard"
workers (35 years old) in the textile and manufacturing sectors and for
"standard" workers (30 years old) in the distribution and service sectors.
1US$≒\133 (February 2002)
Continued on;ontinued on;
http://www.jil.go.jp/english/archives/emm/2001-2003/2002a/vol.13/shunto_baseup.html
Public Policies
-Individual Labor Dispute Law-
According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, in the three
months since the Individual Labor Dispute Law went into effect in October
2001, 20,470 cases of labor consultations have been brought to the 250
comprehensive labor consultation offices set up nationwide.
Reflecting the current economic climate, labor consultations arising
from related corporate restructuring measures accounted in total for 51%
of the cases brought up.
Specifically, "firings" accounted for 29% of the cases, "salary cuts
and other downgrades of labor conditions" accounted for 17%, "pressure
to retire" and "workplace harassment" accounted for 5% each, and "transfers"
accounted for 3%.
82% of the consultations were brought up by workers and the remaining
18% were brought up by employers.
In 308 of the cases, the consultations were brought to the conciliation
committee formed under the new law comprising lawyers and university
professors. Although labor unions were initially skeptical of how well
these types of committees would work in practice, employers in the main
accepted the recommendations of the committee without appeal. The Ministry
noted that assistance and guidance provided through the law, the number
of cases brought to the conciliation committee, and the speed at which
they were processed all suggest that the new system is working smoothly.
News Clippings
-Making it Easier for Men to Care for Children-
The Itochu Corporation announced that it has significantly upgraded
the system of child care and nursing care support that it provides to
its employees. The new system allows employees to take special child
care leave or to reduce their working hours to allow them to provide
the necessary care. A particularly notable feature of the new system
is that it allows both men and women to reduce their work hours to
provide child care. The new system anticipates the April revision to
the Child Care and Nursing Care Leave Law (see JLF Vol.8
http://www.jil.go.jp/english/archives/emm/index.html) and took effect this month.
Itochu, besides offering child care leave to employees until the child
is one full year of age, is granting up to 20 days a year of special
child care leave until the child reaches age 7, which can be taken in
any combination of half-day leaves. Offering of work hour reductions
has been extended to employees who have children aged between 1 and 3
and now covers male employees as well. The period of special nursing
care leaves has also been extended from six months to one full year.
(Nikkei Sangyo Shimbun, January)
-Percentage of Presidential Changes Increases for First Time in Five
Years in 2001; Number of Women Presidents Highest Ever-
According to a survey of some 1.16 million company presidents conducted
by Teikoku Databank through its database, 45,269 companies changed presidents
in 2001, accounting for 3.91% of the total. It was the first time in five
years that this figure rose. The average age of the company presidents
was 57 years 9 months, 3 months higher than in the previous year and
the 21st consecutive year since the survey began that the average age rose.
(In a survey conducted by Nikkei targeting just the 97 major corporations
that switched presidents in the second half of 2001, younger presidents
were more prominent-see JLF Vol.11. http://www.jil.go.jp/english/archives/emm/index.html)
According to the Teikoku Databank survey, the number of women presidents
was 64,803 (5.6%), the highest figure ever. Although the number of women
presidents has been increasing every year, their average age was 60 years,
which was 2 years 3 months older than the overall average.
(Nihon Keizai Shimbun, January)
Special Issue
-Characteristics of Unemployment-
According to a late January report by the Ministry of Public Management,
Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications, Japan’s seasonally adjusted
unemployment rate for December 2001 was 5.6%, the fourth consecutive month
in which the unemployment figures were the worst ever.
A look at the unemployment figures, shows four main characteristics:
1.Accelerating rise in rate of unemployment
It took over 20 years for the unemployment rate to reach the 3% level
(after the Plaza Accord) since the rate first broke the 2% mark in the
1970s (after the Oil Crisis), but it took only an additional six years
for the unemployment rate to reach the 5% mark.
Continued on;
http://www.jil.go.jp/english/archives/emm/2001-2003/2002a/vol.13/characteristics.html
New Website open!!
Labour Information in Japan
Source of labor information in Japan for foreign companies provided by
the Japan Institute of Labour(JIL)
http://www.jil.go.jp/laborinfo-e.htm
