Where is the long tunnel exit ... December 24, 19:04
I myself have chosen the non-regular way of working.
That's why I've been trying hard for the last 10 months to rebuild my life.
But now I can't even see my future a month later.
(Social Department Reporter Yuka Onishi Marie Mano)
The "gap" that came to my mind
A man in his 40s living alone in Tokyo.
In mid-December, I heard a story between job hunting activities.
A man has been working as a part-time job at a hotel in Tokyo for 10 years, in charge of setting up and serving banquet halls.
I work 5 days a week, 13 hours a day, and take care of about 250,000 yen a month.
He was also tasked with managing the shifts of other part-time jobs and sometimes coaching new full-time employees.
However, due to the spread of the infection, large-scale banquets and events at the hotel were canceled.
Men's shifts have gradually diminished and have disappeared altogether since March.
In late April, a man heard from a colleague at work that "regular employees and some contract employees are paid a leave allowance."
When I checked with the hotel, he said that the following answer was returned.
"I haven't decided on a working day, so I'm not eligible for the leave allowance. I think that banquets and events will resume once the infection situation subsides. Please do it again at that time."
After hanging up, the man says he was first aware of the "gap."
Male:
"When there is nothing, my way of working is freer and lighter, and I thought it would be better to be non-regular if I could get the same salary. It was different from the company's point of view. "
July "It's no good anymore"
The balance of men who were virtually unemployed from March due to lack of leave allowances has been declining.
I asked a man to show me his bank account passbook.
On June 9, 100,000 yen was transferred as a national special benefit, and the balance became "135,024 yen".
However, the balance decreased again because the next job could not be found, and on July 27, it was "27,001 yen".
Even if you cut it down, money will disappear from your hands, such as food expenses, utilities expenses, and smartphone communication charges required for job hunting.
On July 29, when I thought it would run out, one of the national loans, "Comprehensive Support Fund," passed the examination, and 150,000 yen was transferred.
The man talked about his feelings at that time as follows.
Man:
"When I thought it was no good, the loan was transferred and I was able to survive. At this time, if the infection situation calms down while receiving this money, I will go to the banquet service again. You can find a job. If you think about it now, it might have been sweet. "
Leave support fund "Large companies are not eligible"
While I couldn't find a new job, it was the "leave of absence support" that the man decided to rely on in addition to the national loan.
The "leave of absence support fund" is a system that allows workers who are in trouble because they cannot receive the leave allowance even though they have taken a leave of absence at the direction of the company to apply directly to the government.
The government established it in July as an urgent support measure.
Under this system, even non-regular employees who work in shifts will be paid about 80% of their pre-holiday wages if they have documents that describe past salary details and working conditions.
The man says he looked up the procedure with the thought of clinging to the straw.
However, a closer look at the application documents revealed that it was not covered.
What prevented it was the wall of "big companies."
The government excludes employees of large companies from the leave subsidy, saying that "large companies can afford the paperwork and cash flow to utilize the subsidies."
Even in large companies, there are many cases where the leave allowance is not paid.
The man says he is still unconvinced that the line was drawn only on the scale of his place of employment.
Male
"It may be that you can afford to give a leave allowance because it is a" large company "from the country, but the company does not behave as a" large company "even for part-time jobs. I wanted you to understand the circumstances of each person. "
"How do you live?"
Men who were not covered by employment insurance have no unemployment benefits, and "comprehensive support funds" and "housing security benefits" that subsidize rent have supported their lives for the past six months.
However, although the "comprehensive support fund" applied for in June was extended, December was the last transfer.
In order to increase their income as much as possible, men started a part-time cleaning job at a pay nursing home for about 3 hours a day, 3 days a week from October.
If I found another part-time job, I worked, and my total income in December exceeded 150,000 yen.
However, this will no longer meet the income requirements for the “Housing Security Benefit” and it is expected that this benefit will also be discontinued at the end of January.
Although his income has increased temporarily, he has not found a stable job for men.
From the beginning of the year, he will have to live on the 40,000 yen a month that he gets from the cleaning job, and he says that he has not yet seen the future of how to live.
Man
"There is an apartment renewal in the spring, and I have to pay an additional 80,000 yen, but it is impossible as it is. I can not rely on my elderly parents in the countryside to go home, and I can not go home. If you run out, look for a live-in job at a local accommodation ... Really, when will this situation end? "
The impact of protracted corona in non-regular employment
NHK has continued to interview many people who have lost their jobs due to the effects of the new coronavirus.
Among them, the overwhelming majority were non-regular workers such as part-time workers and temporary staff.
The national census also shows the impact.
According to a labor force survey by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the number of people working in regular employment did not decrease significantly compared to the previous year, while the number of people working in non-regular employment was 8 months from March. It has decreased significantly in a row.
The rate of decline widened after the state of emergency, and in July it decreased by 1.31 million compared to the same period of the previous year.
After that, the rate of decline gradually slowed, but October is still 850,000 less than the same period of the previous year.
The employment of those who worked in non-regular employment remains lost for a long period of time.
In addition, the number of employees taking leave had a significant impact on those who work in non-regular employment.
In April, when the number of employees was the most closed, 2.4 million people increased compared to the same period of the previous year.
The number of employees on leave has more than doubled that of regular employees.
Although the number has decreased since the state of emergency was lifted, the number of non-regular employees on leave increased by 120,000 in October compared to the previous year.
The impact is greater than that of regular employees (up 20,000).
Regarding this situation, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said as follows.
"The impact of the new coronavirus is significant on vulnerable people such as non-regular workers and women. Job vacancies have not returned in some industries, and the October labor force survey also showed a decrease in non-regular workers. We can see that the situation is so large that we cannot find a job. Therefore, in the future, we would like to expand support for reemployment, including career changes to fields different from the previous industries. "
To an inexperienced industry while worried
How can we regain the work that was lost due to the spread of the infection?
Some of the people we have interviewed have jumped into an inexperienced industry and re-employed.
In late November, a woman in her 60s living alone in Kanagawa Prefecture contacted me.
"For the time being, I'm taking a nursing care job and receiving training for beginners! I'll do my best!" As
a part-time employee of a bus company, the woman is in charge of tasks such as checking student commuter passes at the bus stop in front of the school. Was there.
However, due to the spread of the infection, the school was closed for a long time from March, and women were closed.
The leave allowance was not paid because "the shift was not decided" and I was forced to retire in July.
Like the man I mentioned earlier, I couldn't apply for the national "leave of absence support" because of the wall of "large companies".
I was looking for a job in late August when I was told about it, but the ratio of job offers to applicants in Kanagawa Prefecture in August was 0.75, the second lowest in Japan.
On the other hand, there are many job offers in the long-term care industry, and women were worried about whether they could continue due to their age and physical strength, but said as follows.
Woman
"I have taken care of my parents, but I am worried because I have no experience as a job. However, considering the remaining savings, I have one or two months to work hard without deciding to re-employ. Kana. Thinking beyond that, it's tough. "
Re-employment also "entered another tunnel"
After that, I talked to the woman again.
He said that he started working as a part-time job at a group home 5 days a week, 8 hours a day from the end of September.
At the same time, he started taking the training for first-time caregivers and said that it was completed successfully in December.
A woman who told me that she is now advancing to the next training with the aim of becoming a nationally qualified care worker.
His monthly income is about 150,000 yen, and he says he is regaining his life.
However, while the woman felt rewarded for her long-term care work, she said she had no hope for the future.
Woman
"I have to eat, so I jumped in thinking that I would never have a problem with eating in the future, but it is rewarding but my mind and body are really tired because of the hard work while being close to the user. I plan to work until I die, but I'm old, so I wonder what would happen if I broke my body here and couldn't work. When I saw the light in a pitch-black tunnel, I entered another tunnel. I wonder if it feels like
Is it "unavoidable"?
Unemployment from prolonged leave.
And even if you find a new job, you cannot say that you have a stable life.
Instead of fading, the effects of the new virus are becoming more serious day by day.
A man working in a hotel banquet hall repeatedly said during the interview that he had no choice.
When you hear the meaning.
Male
"Part-time job is a work style that I chose, and I liked it, so I think it's all my fault that this happened in Corona. That's why I think it's unavoidable." "
The number of non-regular work styles has increased in response to the demands of companies and society.
However, in a situation that no one expected, the spread of the new virus, the "instability" that was originally possessed became apparent.
I feel that many people think that this is an individual responsibility, saying, "It's the way of working that I chose."
I think this has increased the number of people who have difficulty speaking out even if they are in need of living due to the corona sickness, making it difficult to see the actual situation.
Is it okay to make everything an individual responsibility?
We will continue to collect data based on your voice.
We welcome your opinions and information.
Year-end and New Year consultation desk (Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare summary as of December 21)
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/12601000/000708298.pdf
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Social Affairs Department Reporter
Yuka Onishi
Social Affairs Department Reporter
Marie Mano