Japan, which has a great sense of crisis due to population decline, is implementing a policy overhaul to increase childrearing time as a countermeasure against the low birth rate.
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has made it a company’s duty to work by decree to introduce a system that allows employees with children up to 3 years of age to work from home online, and the right to exempt from overtime work, which is currently limited to 3 years old, is also extended to before school due to a law revision Nihon The Keizai Shimbun reported on the 16th.
In addition, it is planned to create an environment in which workers can work flexibly even after returning from parental leave so that it is easy to have the desired number of children, and the Childcare and Care Leave Act and related ordinances will be revised in 2024.
Currently, it is compulsory to adopt a short-time work system of 6 hours a day as a principle to support compatibility until the child reaches the age of 3. When online telecommuting spreads, especially those working in urban areas, it becomes easier to have childcare time by eliminating commuting time.
In Japan, men’s participation in housework and childcare is particularly low. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Japanese men spend an average of 41 minutes per week on free labor, such as housework and childcare, which is a quarter of that of the United States and Norway and one-third of that of France.
However, Nihon Keizai reported that it is not easy to respond to telework (telecommuting) for small and medium-sized enterprises with few employees. It is said that the burden of related facilities will increase and productivity may decrease in industries where face-to-face contact is unavoidable. It is difficult to introduce telecommuting in the face-to-face service industry, childcare, and medical care.
“There is no guarantee that the new system will proceed as intended by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare,” said Nihon Keizai, pointing out that “it is necessary to fix the structure in society as a whole rather than entrusting it to corporations.”
In addition, he added, “While working from home or taking parental leave is an individual decision, companies that are delayed in introducing the system may not be selected by those who want a flexible working method.”
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.