The Japan Labor Flash No.84
Email Journal May 15, 2007
Statistical Reports
Recent Statistical Survey Reports
Current Topics
Nippon Keidanren Focuses on "Work-Life Balance"
Labour Lawyers Association of Japan Shows Concern about Plan
to Obligate Firms to Submit Information on Foreign Workers
Public Policies
Telework to be Applied to More National Civil Servants
Cabinet Decides to Submit Bill to Revise National Public Service Act
News Clippings
Employees Retired due to Childbirth or Child-Rearing Allowed to
Return to Posts 10 Years Later
May Day Rallies Held Across the Country
Special Issue
High School Students in Japan Today
Statistical Reports
-Recent Statistical Survey Reports-
Features
Actual Situation of Working Women (2006)
Monthly Economic Labour Report (April)
http://www.jil.go.jp/english/estatis/esaikin/2007/e2007-04.htm
Current Topics
-Nippon Keidanren Focuses on "Work-Life Balance"-
In mid-April, Nippon Keidanren (the Japan Business Federation)
issued a revised version of its "Guidelines for the Charter of
Corporate Behavior." The guidelines illustrate measures necessary
for each firm to comply voluntarily with the Charter of Corporate
Behavior. The latest revision has the perspective to suit the recent
enactment and revisions to various laws and ordinances directly
affecting corporate management, and to satisfy expectations of
shareholders, consumers, customers, employees and other stakeholders.
Where matters concerning labor and employment are concerned, the
guidelines emphasize what they call a "work-life balance," and at
the same time incorporate plans to encourage employees to actively
participate in child-rearing and involve themselves in educational
activities at their children's school.
-Labour Lawyers Association of Japan Shows Concern about Plan to
Obligate Firms to Submit Information on Foreign Workers-
On April 20, the Labour Lawyers Association of Japan published its
"Opinions on the discussion of a legislative bill concerning revisions
to the Employment Measure Law." The bill makes it obligatory, with
penal regulations, for employers to submit, when hiring and firing
foreign workers, the names, dates of birth, status of residence, expiry
dates of visas, nationalities, etc. of the said foreigners.
The Association raised objections to the bill, asserting that those
new obligations seemed likely to contribute neither to the vocational
stability nor to the improvement of employment patterns and management,
and that they aimed at nothing but tightening security measures.
The lawyers' group called for careful discussion of the issues, showing
a concern that the bill could also invade the privacy of foreign workers.
At the same time, they emphasized that, since there is currently no
nationwide consensus on the basic idea of accepting foreign workers,
discussion aimed at forging such a consensus should be given greater
priority.
Public Policies
-Telework to be Applied to More National Civil Servants-
On April 19, the National Personnel Authority announced the setting
up of a study group to look into a working-hour system which makes
it easier for national civil servants to engage in telework. The study
group will examine broadly the types of personnel needed and duties
to be covered by the telework system, methods of managing working
hours, technical matters and other related issues for effective use of
telework in the civil service, and will finally draw up a report in July
next year.
In the meantime, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications
announced on April 24 that its telework system, which had been applicable
only to "personnel engaged in child-rearing or family-care", would be
made available for all personnel at Ministry headquarters from May 2007
on. This step followed a decision made at a meeting the previous day
for promotion of the telework system.
-Cabinet Decides to Submit Bill to Revise National Public Service Act-
At an extraordinary cabinet meeting held on April 24, the Government
decided to submit a bill on revision of the National Public Service Act.
The bill calls for personnel management strictly based on ability and
performance by, for example, adopting a personnel evaluation system;
establishing regulations and a supervisory committee on re-employment
of retiring national civil servants; and setting up a public-private
human resources exchange center to streamline the exchange of human
resources. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says "for restoring public trust
in the civil service, it is essential to make a breakthrough in problems
arising from the seniority system by adopting the ability- and performance
-based evaluation system, and to eradicate the practice of calling
tacitly on private firms to create employment opportunities for their
retiring officials, which often leads to bid-rigging and various other
improprieties."
News Clippings
-Employees Retired due to Childbirth or Child-Rearing Allowed to
Return to Posts 10 Years Later-
Toray Industries, Inc., a leading company in the manufacture and
sales of synthetic fibers, decided to expand its re-employment system
for female employees who left the company due to childbirth or child
-rearing. The new system was adopted in April after revising measures
to assist female employees for the first time in two years.
Under the new system, female employees are now allowed to register
for re-employment for a maximum of 10 years, and thus are able to
return to the company as regular employees up to 10 years after their
retirement. Female employees could only register for re-employment for
up to three years under the previous system. Although an increasing
number of firms have been adopting the re-employment system for females,
the length of 10 years is a rarity.
Registered persons, even if they have left the company due to
childbirth, will be provided with job information from the company even
after their retirement. Employees will also be given opportunities to
register for reasons such as the necessity of caring for older family
members or job transfers of spouses that require a change in residence.
(Nihon Keizai Shimbun, April)
-May Day Rallies Held Across the Country-
Rengo's 78th Central May Day Rally was held on April 28, while
Zenroren and Zenrokyo held their Central May Day Rallies on May 1
respectively, calling for rectification of labor inequalities and
employment instability of non-regular employees.
In the meantime, freeters, temporary day-workers, workers with
disabilities, recipients of public welfare, and other persons with
employment instability and low incomes also spoke up and called for
rectification of low wages and long working hours. On April 30 in
Tokyo, the Freeters and General Workers Union (PAFF: Part-timers,
"Arbeiters", Freeters & Foreign workers) called for a rally with the
theme of "May Day 2007 for Freedom and Lives", in which 38 organizations
participated; 420 people gathered, which was a much greater number
than expected. In Osaka, a "Cheerful Poor May Day" was held, at which
some 100 freeters and street sleepers gathered. The organizer explained
that some young people referred to as "working poor" are hard-pressed
in their everyday working life and also feel isolated. They voiced that
they would like to call on society to bring together socially vulnerable
persons.
(Asahi Shimbun, April)
Special Issue
-High School Students in Japan Today-
What do high school students today usually think about? The results
of a survey on the will to achieve among high school students in Japan,
the U.S., China and ROK, published recently by the Japan Youth Research
Institute, give a glimpse of their outlook. The survey, carried out
between October and December 2006, targeted 1,461 students at 12 public
and private high schools in Japan (those in public schools accounted
for some 70%, and those in private schools for some 30%); 1,271 students
at 14 public schools in the U.S.; 1,763 students at 18 public schools
in China; and 1,181 students at 21 public and private high schools in
ROK (those in public schools accounted for some 70%, and those in private
schools for some 30%). In each country, the proportion of males and
females is more or less equal.
Continued on;
http://www.jil.go.jp/english/archives/emm/2003/no.84/84_si.html
