IWS Documented News DAILY POSTINGS

IWS Documented News Service

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Institute for Workplace Studies-----------------Professor Samuel B. Bacharach

School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies

Cornell University

16 East 34th Street, 4th floor--------------------Stuart Basefsky

New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau

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NOTE: Funding for this service ends on 31 March 2015. Postings will end on this date as well.

 

Japan Institute for Labour Policy and Training (JILPT)

JILPT Research Eye

A series of labor-related information (evidence) that contributes to the formation of labor policies.

 

SIGN OF CHANGE IN EMPLOYMENT PORTFOLIO [24 March 2015]

by Noboru OGINO, Director for Policy Issues, Research and Statistical Information Analysis Department

http://www.jil.go.jp/english/researcheye/bn/RE006.html

 

A movement is becoming prevalent in Japan to regularize non-regular workers such as part-timers and contract workers. Following Starbucks Coffee Japan which was reported to convert its 800 contract workers to full-fledged regular employees, UNIQLO First Retailing (a manufacturer and retailer of casual wear) announced that the company would shift some 16,000 part-timers to "area limited" regular employees (whose terms of employment are limited in regard to geographical area of duty stations and tasks to be assigned) within two to three years. Furthermore, it is reported that IKEA Japan, a giant furniture manufacturer, is to offer open-ended contracts to its part-timers, and that the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ would shift its contract workers with more than three years of service to open-ended contracts.

 

Content includes:

 

·         Regularization of employees expands by shift to open-ended contracts, conversion to regular employees, and introduction of "limited regular employees" category

 

·         1 out of 4 companies expects an increase in "employees with open-ended contract"

 

·         Nearly 20% of companies are positive towards introduction/expansion of "limited regular employees"

 

·         "Limited regular employees" as absorbents of workers after conversion to open-ended contracts

 

·         Redefinition of "regular employees" required– from dual structure (open-ended/fixed) to a creation of 3rd category

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This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.