Yomiuri seized by union members?

May 4, 2007
By Ken Worsley

Of course not…but with the Golden Week holidays on in Japan, there isn’t much market news this week. Today, the Yomiuri published five articles concerning labor, wages and social services in Japan. There are some interesting debates being brought up that often end up being subsumed under the daily business and market commentary:

From ‘2nd chance’ theory too narrow:

Poverty is a word that has rarely surfaced in Japanese newspapers or other media for several decades, but we have to ask ourselves what level of disparity is tolerable in society, and if the gap has become too big already.

In recent years, government policy has increased the burden on citizens through measures such as raising social security fees and partially abolishing special tax exemptions for spouses. This policy may be expanding the current disparities.

I certainly agree with that second paragraph. There is no doubt that the increased social insurance contributions are putting a dent in consumer spending.

Overcoming economic and social disparities

This piece is a bit of a round-table discussion. Here’s a small bit:

In dispute are forms of disparity such as those that exist between regularly contracted workers and workers with nonregular contracts. As a measure to help people given a second chance meet the challenges they face, the government has been urged to make working conditions more equal for all, and to expand the scope of the employees’ pension scheme to include part-time workers. The Democratic Party of Japan has demanded that the minimum wage levels be raised.

Very true. In many areas, welfare payments provide more money than working at the minimum wage. This is a contradiction that needs to be worked out. Cutting welfare payments would not be the popular option…

Hard for women to support selves

A good discussion on how the social insurance system is not working well for working women.

From Dual career ladder system necessary:

We have to review the system of hiring new graduates en masse because we are forcing young people to choose their path in life too early, increasing the likelihood of them making poor decisions. Chance influences whether a young person gets the opportunity to make the most of his or her abilities at this time. There is no clear career path available to some young people in the tight labor market. When we thought about the general support plan for “second chances” that was decided on at the end of last year, we began by considering how to create new opportunities for these people.

Hear, hear! I’ve been saying that the resumption of hiring new graduates en masse was dangerous, not least because it allows for an easy return to HR practices that are not exactly forward-looking…

Finally: Workforce needs greater mobility

A short piece with a conclusion I’m not sure I agree with.

Filed Under Japan, Labor and Wages, Media