Employee pension coverage “Expanded to part-time workers” discussion on September 2, 19:17
Discussions were held at a meeting of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare over whether to extend the scope of the Employees' Pension to people who work part-time. While there was an opinion in favor of future income security, there were voices calling for careful consideration from the increasing business side.
Over the pension system, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare checked the financial situation once every five years last week and published the results of “Financial Verification” that shows the future level of benefits.
The first meeting of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare was held after the announcement, and discussions were held on whether the scope of application should be expanded in order to further promote participation in employees' pensions.
In this context, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare explained that, based on the results of “Financial Verification,” the level of pensions that will be received in the future will be slightly improved from the current system if the scope of application is expanded.
On the other hand, the union expressed the idea that “If you can join the welfare pension, it will lead to a certain level of peace of mind after retirement.
On the other hand, the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry demanded careful consideration, such as "I understand that it is for social security, but there is a limit to the burden on companies" based on the fact that companies pay half of their insurance premiums. .
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare will continue to consider system revisions with reference to the opinions issued on the 2nd.
Additional trial calculation for application expansion in 3 patterns
In order for short-time workers working in a part-time state to participate in the welfare pension, certain conditions must be met.
Currently, the company has more than 501 employees and works more than 20 hours a week, with a monthly income of over 88,000 yen.
Last week, the “Fiscal Verification” announced, there are three additional calculations for expanding the application.
[1 Eliminate enterprise-scale requirements]
First, if the requirement for employee size is abolished, approximately 1.25 million people will be eligible for the Employees' Pension, and as participation increases, the “income replacement rate” in 2046 will be 51.4%, 0.5% lower than the current level. The point is to improve.
[2 Elimination of company size and wage requirements]
Also, if the wage requirements are abolished in addition to the employee size, the number of eligible persons will increase by about 3.25 million, and the “income substitution rate” in FY2045 will be 51.9%, an improvement of 1.1 points from the current level. It is.
[3 Applies to all income above a certain level]
Furthermore, if there was no time requirement and the target was all people with a monthly income of 58,000 yen or more, the number of eligible persons increased by approximately 1,500,000, and the “income replacement rate” in FY2039 was 55.7%. It is said that 4.8 points will be improved.
Since the number of supporters increases as the number of employees participating in the Employees' Pension increases, it is said that it has the effect of improving pension finance.
Aims and challenges for expanding applications
People who have only a national pension, such as those who work in part-time jobs, have the aim of raising the level of pensions they can receive by entering the welfare pension because there are fewer pensions in the future and life after retirement may be severe.
In particular, the government is positioned as a pillar of institutional reform because it is expected to lead to low pension measures for non-regular employees in the “working ice age”.
But there are challenges.
The company pays half of the premium for the Employees' Pension, so if the number of participants increases, the burden on the company will increase, and a backlash from the retail and restaurant industries with many part-time workers is expected.
On the other hand, there is a merit that it will be easier for people to gather because companies that encourage employees to join the welfare pension are good at welfare benefits, while there is a shortage of labor.
In the future, the focus will be on how much to ease the conditions such as employee size and income while paying attention to the increasing burden of companies.
Consider raising the upper age limit for government participation
The government is also considering raising the upper limit of welfare pension age from the current 70 years.
Recently, there are an increasing number of people who continue to work at the company even after they are 70 years old, and elderly people who have retired and re-employed in another company, so it is necessary to review the system in response to changes in work styles. The
In the “Financial Verification” announced last week, a trial calculation was performed when the upper limit was raised to 75 years.
In this case, about 600,000 new people will be eligible for participation, and the number of supporters of pensions will increase. Therefore, the “income replacement rate” in FY2047 will be 51.1%, a 0.3 point improvement over the current level.
On the other hand, there will be a backlash on the part of the company as the insurance premium burden on the company that employs increases.
Union "Realization of a safe retirement life"
Norio Hirakawa, Director General of the Policy Department, said, “How can we avoid the situation where we were forced to live on the national pension alone because we were non-regular workers? I don't think it's possible for the same employed worker to be able to understand whether or not there is a difference, so we need to make a system that can improve and realize a safe life after retirement. "
National Chamber of Commerce and Industry "Carefully consider"
“From the perspective of SMEs and small businesses, there is no particular objection to the improvement of employee treatment by expanding the application of pensions. "The burden on companies is increasing. I want you to consider carefully how much the company can bear the burden, after carefully examining the actual situation."