HR-ON-THE-GO: Japan HR News Roundup

Tokyo--Some pioneering companies in Japan are going against the grain by allowing employees to refuse work phone calls and emails on their days off, in an age when technology is blurring the boundaries between personal and professional lives.

Source: https://english.kyodonews.net/

Japan's largest labor organization will step up support for foreign workers and freelancers who find it difficult to join existing labor unions or form new unions by themselves, a source close to the matter said Tuesday.

Source: https://japantoday.com/

TOKYO -- With the Oct. 1 sales tax rise from 8% to 10% likely to put pressure on some vulnerable people's ability to cover even their most basic living costs, the Mainichi Shimbun spoke to laborers with no permanent residence who stay for extended periods in internet cafes, to find out how the hike will affect them. 

Source: https://mainichi.jp/

A survey on employment trends published by the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare found that, in 2018, 7.66 million workers were newly hired by Japanese businesses, while 7.24 million left their jobs. New hires exceeded job leavers for the sixth consecutive year, reflecting the favorable job market that has arisen from Japan’s labor shortage.

Source: https://www.nippon.com/

SAPPORO--A court on Tuesday ordered a hospital operator in northern Japan to pay 1.65 million yen damages to a man, after it refused to employ him last year for failing to report his HIV infection.

Source: https://japantoday.com/

TOKYO — The Japanese government will take steps to secure employment opportunities for the elderly, based on a recent survey that showed a record-high 8.62 million people aged 65 or older held jobs in 2018.

Source: https://business.inquirer.net/

A male employee is suing sportswear maker Asics Corp. for alleged mistreatment after taking paternity leave, a case that has cast a spotlight on gender equality and workers’ rights in Japan.

Source: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/

The government held a uniform employment examination for people with disabilities on Sunday, for the second time since a hiring scandal came to light last year. A total of 3,104 people took the first-stage test paper in hope of securing one of the 248 jobs on offer. The exam took place at 15 locations in nine cities, including Tokyo and Osaka.

Source: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/

TOKYO -- Around 60% of freelance workers in Japan have experienced power harassment, and close to 40% have been subject to sexual harassment, according to the results of a survey announced by three freelancer groups in the capital on Sept. 10. 

Source: https://mainichi.jp

People aged 50 or older and out of the workforce in Japan could increase by 29 percent from 2018, to 59 per 100 people, by 2050, straining public retirement schemes, the OECD said in a recent report that suggested reforms are needed.

Source: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/