1――Introduction1
In both Japan as well as South Korea, the increase in non-regular workers can be observed as a long-term trend. In Japan, the cabinet decided on a plan to continue regulatory relaxation in 1997 that incorporated liberalization of temporary labor, and temporary labor was effectively liberalized in 1999. This spurred the increase of non-regular workers and further diversified the modes of employment available. In South Korea, the number of non-regular workers began increasing after the IMF economic crisis in 1997. For both Japan and South Korea, employment destabilization continues.
In 2007, as the increase in non-regular workers accelerated, the South Korean government implemented the "
Act on the Protection of Non-Regular Workers." The purpose of the law known was as "In acknowledgement of the diversification of the labor marketplace, to limit the time period of fixed-term and part-time worker employment in order to restrict abuse of irregular employees and rectify unreasonable discrimination against irregular employees." The result was that employees who worked at the same workplace for more than two years would be treated as contractual employees for an indefinite contractual period.
In this paper we discuss the current status of non-regular workers in Japan and South Korea in addition to both countries’ governmental stance on this issue is referred. First, based on several studies conducted in both countries, we contrast and analyze the different definitions of "non-regular workers" used in Japan and South Korea. Then we explore measures to address non-regular workers in both countries. In particular, by analyzing the issues surrounding the implementation of South Korea’s "
Act on the Protection of Non-Regular Workers," which introduced the indefinite employment reclassification rule not yet seen in Japan, we seek to discuss what kind of indefinite employment reclassification rule Japan should pursue in the future.
1 Myoung-Jung KIM: Associate Research Fellow, Social Improvement & Life Design Research Department, Healthcare Research Center, Gerontorogy Promotion Office NLI Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan.
Machiko Osawa: Professor, Japan Women's University, Tokyo, Japan.
2――Definition of non-regular employee in Japan and South Korea