Temporary Employment
Our attention has been grabbed by the recent indiscriminate murder cases in Akihabara and Hachioji in Tokyo because the criminals were temporary staff.
Temporary Workers on the Increase
I know that there are many temporary workers, but I did not know how rapidly the number of temporary workers had increased over the past decade. According to the Statistics Bureau, the number of temporary workers was just 87,000 in 1987. That number reached 3.31 million in 2006. It can be said that ‘Haken’ (employing temporary staff) has become a common employment practice, taking over the traditional system of lifetime employment.
Good Sides of Temporary Employment
Temporary employment has positive aspects for companies and employees. Companies flexibly hire temporary workers depending on their business cycle, and they do not have to worry about laying off staff and other human resource issues. Temporary workers are also able to try a variety of jobs and experience different cultures and business styles at various companies.
Problems with Temporary Employment
There are also negative aspects to temporary employment. Companies do not gain long-term commitment from temporary workers. The workers just concentrate on their short-term tasks, regardless of the company’s long-term direction. Temporary workers are hired on lower wages than full-time staff, and do not have job security for their future. Several temporary workers who I met expressed their concerns about finding another job after termination of their current contract.
What these recent crimes tell us is that we should not ignore these problems. The two men committed the crimes because they felt insecure and that they were not being cared for by anyone. Even if they take a temporary job, they need long-term care so that they feel secure and rewarded for their work.
August 09 2008 10:18 am | Life and Weekly Articles
