Did you reduce contact opportunities at work? Research by University of Tokyo, etc. New Corona May 6 5:24
A survey of the extent to which the University of Tokyo reduced contact opportunities with people at work due to the spread of the new coronavirus, and the ratio compared to usual, when a result was found that Hokkaido was lower than Tokyo, etc. It was Experts point out that the fact that there are many occupations in which telework is difficult in rural areas may also be a factor.
The University of Tokyo and a private research company, "Survey Research Center," on the 25th and 26th of last month, regarding changes in contact opportunities after the government's emergency declaration was expanded nationwide, Tokyo, Osaka, Hokkaido, Aichi Prefecture, An online survey was conducted on men and women over the age of 20 in Fukuoka Prefecture, and 2520 responses were obtained.
Of these, I asked each day how much I reduced the chances of contacting people at work, usually 100%, and when I asked each day, on the weekday of the week of 20th last month, Tokyo gave me an opportunity to contact. It was reduced by about 70%. Fukuoka prefecture was in the low 60% range, Osaka prefecture was around 60%, and Aichi prefecture was around 55%. On the other hand, Hokkaido was at the 40% level on any day, with the least chance of contact.
In addition, 50.8% of the respondents answered that they cannot do telework in the question regarding occupations, 60.8% in Osaka prefecture, 66.7% in Fukuoka prefecture, 71.4% in Aichi prefecture, and 75.5% in Hokkaido prefecture. However, the percentage of people who chose the type of work that does not allow telework has increased.
Associate Professor Naoya Sekiya of the University of Tokyo, who supervised the survey, said, "In Tokyo, there are many job types that facilitate telework such as head office management and finance and information and communication. It is thought that there are many people whose work is difficult to do and it is difficult for them to deter behavior.If you try to shift to telework for a job that does not allow telework, it will not lead to a reduction in contact opportunities, so it is difficult to reach the target in rural areas. It may be necessary to consider other measures toward 80% reduction. "
Hokkaido has many agricultural workers It is difficult to introduce telework
While there is a move to adopt telework nationwide, there are many jobs in Hokkaido that are difficult to introduce, such as agriculture.
Yusuke Mikita in Naganuma-cho, Hokkaido runs an agricultural corporation that produces vegetables in a 55-hectare field.
At this time when the snow melted and became warm, the work of planting long onion seedlings is in full swing. With the help of employees, part-timers, and foreign technical interns, about 20 people are engaged in agricultural work.
In order to make it in time for the summer harvest, the work of planting seedlings must be completed at once. I understand that telework is effective for preventing the spread of new coronavirus, but it is difficult in agriculture where field work is indispensable.
We are also introducing machines to reduce the number of people who go to the site as much as possible, but vegetables that require careful handling, such as long onions, often require human intervention, so people actually go to the field. Need to work. It is said that in addition to working people keep a certain distance, calling for refraining from going out other than agricultural work is the most thorough measure.
Mr. Mikita said, "It is practically difficult to work from home in the field of agriculture, where field work is unavoidable. There is no choice but to reduce the risk of infection to the extent possible, such as by having a telephone consultation with a contractor. I was talking. "
There is room for consideration depending on the work
Regarding the implementation status of telework in Hokkaido, Koichiro Nishioka, Director of the Hokkaido Employment and Labor Administration Division said, "I think it is quite difficult to introduce telework in industries that require field work, not limited to agriculture. I also have some work to do on the desk, such as work, so I think there is room for consideration. "
In addition, "Telework is a very effective approach in the sense of avoiding contact between people, so there are differences in the ease of introduction depending on the industry, but I would like to see as many companies as possible introduce it. I was talking. "