Changes in the ‘labor market’ after the pandemic

Amid global changes in the working environment after the pandemic, more and more workers voluntarily choose “non-regular workers” rather than “regular workers,” especially in the U.S. and Japan. Regardless of high income and excellent welfare, there has been a growing desire for leisure and autonomy. Analysts say that the labor market has changed significantly as the perception that you can work at any time you want and that you can make a living by working part-time alone has spread rapidly. “I’ll work when I want to.” More and more workers voluntarily choose non-regular workers in Japan. Why choose “non-regular workers” for regular workers who have higher wages than non-regular workers and can receive various welfare benefits?The Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported on the 15th on the reason for becoming a non-regular worker, citing a 2022 labor force survey by the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. “I want to work when I’m comfortable,” the number of respondents topped the list with 6.79 million. The figure is 220,000 more than the previous year. There was also an answer that “you can live with just the cost of your part-time job.”This is compared to the past when the answer was “because there were no regular jobs.”

More and more Japanese people say that irregular workers do not matter if they can work at a time that is convenient for them even if they are not stable regular workers. The media said, “More and more people are emphasizing flexible working methods.” As of last year, Japan had 35.88 million regular and non-regular workers, respectively. “You can live on a part-time income.” U.S. workers also prefer to work part-time in the short term rather than regular workers. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that the number of workers choosing to work part-time in the United States has exceeded 22 million. The figure is the highest in 28 months since 22.29 million in September 2020. According to data from the U.S. Department of Labor, the number of fixed-term workers increased by 1.2 million between December and January last year, of which 857,000 (71%) are voluntary part-time workers.The U.S. Department of Labor classifies less than 35 hours a week as part-time work. Of the 160 million employed in January, 16.3% worked as part-time workers. However, the number of voluntary part-time workers was 22.1 million as of January. It is more than five times the number of workers who are working part-time but want to work full-time (4.1 million).
Most part-time workers choose to work part-time not because they can’t find a full-time job, but because of their family or personal “non-economic reasons.” The WSJ diagnosed, “The increase in voluntary part-time workers is a result of changes in the U.S. economy and labor market after the pandemic,” adding, “With COVID-19, workers are moving to part-time workers as they value the quality of life and value more.” Ronnie Golden, an economist at the University of Avington, Pencet, explained, “You may have found that people can live on a lower income.” As the number of young people living with their parents increases and benefits such as tax credits are expanded to COVID-19, they can make a living even part-time. “Part-time work for non-economic reasons is spreading faster than expected,” Golden said.

JULIE KIM

ASIA JOURNAL

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