Non-regular workers in Japan are tightening their belts
A recent TV drama “The Dignity of the Temporary Worker” brought the problems of temp workers to the attention of the general public.
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, non-regular workers, which include temp workers and part-timers, numbered 35.5% of the workforce as of last year. 55.2% of women and 19.9% of men are now belong to this group, a huge leap from 37.1% and 9.1% respectively in 1987. Although there is often little difference in the actual tasks performed, employment conditions for non-regular workers are clearly worse compared to full-timers, with short contracts instead of lifetime employment, significantly lower pay without the twice-yearly bonus, fewer holidays and reduced insurance coverage.
The effects of the emergence of this new consumer group can be observed daily. According to L25, a free Tokyo magazine targeted at working women aged 20-34, slightly more than sixty percent of this group rarely eat out for lunch, instead preparing cheaper lunch boxes and eating at their desks in order to save money. In Tokyo, where prices for a set lunch in a restaurant start at 600 yen ($6), one wonders how much more they can save. More than half of the women surveyed were temp workers.
There are broader social implications of this trend as well. A new TV drama “The Dignity of the Temporary Worker” aired last year and dealt with the issues temporary workers regularly face – from lunch boxes to transportation expenses. And Tokyo’s numerous free magazines targeted at young women are full of advice on how to deal with difficult colleagues or supervisors at work – all issues that non-regular workers face as often as every three months when their contracts end and they have to move and adapt to a new work environment.
With these developments, non-regular workers seem to be on the way to becoming a new and distinct consumer group with different wants and needs, ranging from cheaper lunch options to private insurance. The above TV drama came up with the first (albeit fictional) product created especially for non-regular workers – the affordably-priced “temp worker lunch box.”
Natalie Meyer