Japan’s Labour Ministry is seeking to urge companies to ensure jobs for workers until the age of 70 years from April 2021. The Ministry will also require large companies with more than 300 workers to publish the number of mid-career hires on their overall payrolls.
The plans were understood to have been included in the summary of a bill to revise the law on stabilizing employment for the elderly that was submitted to a Labour Policy Council subcommittee. The Ministry aims to submit the bill to a parliamentary session schedules to convene on 20 January 2020.
The plan offers several options to ensure jobs for workers up to age 70, such as assisting community service activities by elderly employees and subcontracting operations to businesses launched by older workers. Other options include delaying the retirement age and offering continued employment after retirement, currently mandated for those up to the age of 65. Additionally, the bill calls for altering the unemployment benefits system for the elderly as it pertains to taking second jobs, which is on the increase in the country. The bill also seeks to change how much workers past the retirement age will be compensated for decreases in wages from the continued employment plan. The government wants to lower the rate of compensation for such workers from April 2025.
Japan Times
