Peak moving season slowed by driver crunch as labor violations dwindle
In the run-up to moving season, the national shortage of truck drivers has become acute, forcing transport companies to ask customers who are switching homes to delay their moving dates until after the spring break. Since the beginning of the year, the Japan Trucking Association ...
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday withdrew a recent remark on Japan's discretionary work system, while opposition lawmakers questioned the validity of the labor ministry survey on which Abe's remarks were based. "I'd like to withdraw my remark and apologize," Abe told a House of ...
Tight market and new labor law improving job security for Japan's army of contract workers
Japan's labor market is getting so tight that companies are starting to convert contract and part-time workers into full-time, regular employees to prevent them from leaving — a move that could lift wages and spending but squeeze profits. The trend is a reversal from the ...
Parents of woman who committed suicide sue Kitakyushu government for power harassment
The parents of a 27-year-old former part-time city worker who committed suicide in 2015 filed a lawsuit Tuesday demanding ¥13 million in compensation from the Kitakyushu Municipal Government, claiming their daughter was overworked and harassed by a supervisor. Kana Morishita's parents say she took her ...
Japan's richest village having hard time luring low-pay workers to process its pricey scallops
Sarufutsu in the far north of Hokkaido is the nation's richest village, thanks to a bounty of scallops pulled from the Sea of Okhotsk. The village — which is closer to the Russian island of Sakhalin than Tokyo — boasts some of the highest average ...
Government mulls 'Kids Week' holiday to prompt overworked Japan to take paid leave
The government is considering plans to create a holiday called "Kids Week," in an ongoing effort to change the country's workaholic culture and allow more time for families. The hope is that the proposed holiday will boost private consumption and encourage workers to use their ...
New employees ready to challenge Japan's 'work-first' culture, study shows
Japanese workers devoting themselves to working massively long hours for their employers might be becoming a thing of the past. Nearly half of newly employed people said they would leave the office when their work was done even if their superiors or colleagues were working ...
Goldman Sachs economist urges crackdown on unpaid overtime to boost Japan's productivity
Japan should crack down on excessive unpaid overtime in order to boost productivity, as the nation's irreversible labor shortage means companies must streamline to cope with fewer people, according to Goldman Sachs Group Inc. chief Japan economist. "A small portion of overtime goes into the ...
Robots may help defuse demographic time bomb in Japan and Germany
Japan and Germany may be sitting on a ticking demographic time bomb where aging populations begin to drag down economic growth. Good thing they're also prime candidates for robot revolutions. Increased automation and more use of robotic technology in these manufacturing powerhouses could help cushion ...
From temp agencies to online grocery stores, an increasing number of businesses are offering services aimed at women looking for a better work-life balance. Tokyo-based staffing service provider B-style Inc. has experienced a surge in its human resources pool since the company began a service ...
Effect of changes in modern motherhood has economists worried
Motherhood is changing, as are mothers' working lives — and those changes have economists concerned. For a while there, women around the world were making clear economic progress. More were working, and they were earning more (and boosting the global economy in the process). But in ...
Labor shortage prompts grudging turn to permanent jobs
The tightest labor market in decades is showing signs of reversing a long shift toward the hiring of temporary workers. The number of full-time permanent workers in Japan is rising for the first time since the global financial crisis, outpacing growth in temporary jobs over ...
