Since the 1985 enactment of the Worker Dispatch Law, the temporary worker industry has expanded steadily, and together with this association's member companies and the workforce who have chosen this type of employment as "a way of working", have contributed to the growth of the Japanese economy. However, the temporary worker system, as just one of many different types of work, has been on the increase, and this has created some problems, mainly due to inconsistencies related to how this system is managed.

One of these problems is the "unstable nature" of temporary indirect hires and the direct hire of part time and casual staff, who all have fixed term employment contracts. During a recession, there is a high risk that they will be compared with regular full-time staff, resulting in redundancies. In particular, labor adjustments that are made during a rapidly deepening economic recession usually hits fixed term temporary contract workers first. This instability is the result of a relatively high degree of freedom that exists when choosing a job, and for permanent employees, the risk of being unemployed decreases and maintains their employment status. Therefore when conducting discussions to resolve the social problems caused by the increase in unemployment, isn't it more important not to limit the type of working styles, but rather to think about multiple working arrangements and to then talk about the enhancement of safety nets such as the unemployment insurance system and welfare system?

Next is the issue of Japan's aging society, and the fact that the working-age population is decreasing. To ensure that working populations remain at a sustainable level, different types of working practices should be encouraged and in order to prepare an environment that is easy for middle-aged and female workers to work in, it is important that the temporary work sector is developed. Rather than 'allow' other unorthodox working styles as long as they don't infringe on permanent employment categories, it is now time for us to re-acknowledge these other working styles and see them as valid working practices that coexist with the permanent market. In order for Japanese companies to survive in the competitive environment of the 21st century, both temporary and permanent workers are expected to increase labor productivity. The government decrees regarding the '26 specialist professions' and the 'general jobs except for the above 26 professions' act as barriers to this development, and it is necessary to remove these work classifications and the time limits on temporary worker contracts. However, the reality is that some people have chosen temporary work as their preferred type of working style, and there are also some people who have chosen temporary positions as a route to finding permanent positions. Taking both these into consideration, the time limits on contracts (which depend on the work classification) can be abolished, and the notion of 'the same temporary contracts for all temporary workers' can be explored.

After discussions with client firms, agencies and related parties and taking their views into consideration, we would like to establish an even better temporary worker system, with a 'Equal quality work, equal pay' philosophy based on the increased employment of permanent staff and labor productivity, and contribute to the further future growth and acceleration of the Japanese economy.