Catherwood LibraryILR School

The only developed economy in which the average worker?s pay has declined is Japan and the rise of temporary contracts may be the cause. Labor activists in the country are calling the rise of temporary employment the country?s ?biggest problem?. Temporary positions have made up over 60% of new openings during the recovery from the Great Recession. While inequality in other countries centers on the income and wealth gaps between percentage points or quintiles of the population, in Japan the debate is growing around the pay and benefits gap between permanent and temporary employees. The growing divide has led to lawsuits and the first union in Japan representing temporary and part-time workers founded by Yoko Mitome and Miho Marui. Although the courts in Japan are less protective of non-permanent employees, temporary and part-time employees are gaining some ground with recent rulings that bolster the right of any employee to form a union and prevent wage discrimination.