While legislation recently passed by the Diet, concerning the use of temporary staff from worker dispatch firms, has raised objections over reduced responsibilities by the firms that employ them, Nikkan Gendai (25 August) notes that hourly wages have been steadily rising.
According to Recruit Jobs, a publisher that circulates position-wanted data, the average hourly wage for staff reached ¥1,600 an hour for the first time in July, and held that figure for two consecutive months.
Depending on the job category, hourly wages for some workers have exceeded ¥2,000. So, while such workers may still lack the perks of regular company staff, at least in monetary terms things are looking up.
A 37-year-old systems engineer told the newspaper that he had voluntarily resigned from a previous employer three years ago to sign up with a worker dispatch firm. This rarely happens, since workers generally seek long-term arrangements with the same firm. That said, there is a good reason for his decision:
“When I was a regular company staff member, my take-home pay was slightly less than ¥400,000 and, with twice yearly bonuses included, I earned about ¥5.8mn per year. As a temporary worker I make ¥3,500 per hour, which gets me about ¥8mn a year. What’s more, I work part time on smartphone development, and the extra earnings push my annual income to around ¥12mn. In my field, it’s not so unusual for people to join dispatch firms. There are others who make more than I do”.
A survey by Recruit Jobs noted that systems engineers often command remuneration of more than ¥5,000 per hour. While clients are less likely to need them during quiet periods such as during summer vacation or New Year, hourly earnings of ¥5,000 put them in the top 4% of wage earners.
Recently passed legislation makes it easier for firms to dismiss temporary workers, but the systems engineer in question is not worried: “I’ve got no desire whatsoever to go back to being a regular staff member”.
“While regular company staff have certain rights, they can be obliged to perform tasks they don’t want to, or work overtime”, said Ryu Nitta, a human resources consultant. Meanwhile, temporary workers can leave the workplace as soon as their eight-hour working day is finished, giving them time to moonlight if they wish, he added.
Moreover, for those who don’t want to do extra tasks, or feel that relations with co-workers are something of a burden, the temporary arrangement can be a blessing, particularly for workers with technical, legal or foreign language skills. Nevertheless, it cannot be denied that, while the labour pool continues to diversify, the appeal of long-term job stability, with social welfare insurance, employee perks, promotions and transfers, including chances to work overseas, still holds appeal for many.