The non-regular employees increased by 3.6 million persons (males increased by 0.94 million and females increased by 2.66 million) in the service industry, and increased by 3.54 million persons (males increased by 0.95 million and females increased by 2.59 million) in the wholesale, retail and restaurants. In service businesses, a high percentage of the companies use the non-regular employees to deal with business fluctuation between busy times and off-times during a day or a week.

## (The ratio of non-regular workers increased in many industries)

According to Figure 29, the increased ratio of non-regular workers occurred in many industries such as wholesale, retail, restaurants and services, while the increase of the ratio of non-regular workers was also affected to a certain degree by the change of industrial structures such as the tendency toward service economy.

## (The percentage of companies planning to increase the ratio of regular employees in the future exceeds the percentage of companies planning to increase the ratio of non-regular employees)

According to Figure 30, the percentage of the companies in which the works assigned to non-regular workers are increased from the quantitative and qualitative aspects drastically exceeds the percentage of the companies in which the work assigned to non-regular workers are decreased; we observe cases that the non-regular employees have come to play a core role and have become a substantial part of workforce. However, the percentage of companies planning to increase the ratio of regular employees in the future exceeds the percentage of companies planning to increase the ratio of non-regular employees.

## (Non-regular employees and fixed-term contract workers)

When non-regular workers are counted on the basis of how they are called at the workplace, the number of non-regular workers is 18.7 million persons (36.3% of the all employees excluding executives) during the period from January to March 2013. The number of fixed-term contract workers is 14.44 million persons (28.0%) and it is considered that many of non-regular workers are fixed-term contract workers. The number of fixed-term contract workers whose years of tenure are 5 years or longer is estimated as 4.26 million persons (8.3%), and 3.56 million persons (6.9%) if the persons aged 65 or older and students are excluded. It is expected that more employees will move from fixed-term employment to permanent (or non-fixed term) employment.

## (Reasons why the labour supply side chooses non-regular employment)

Looking at the reasons why non-regular workers have chosen the current employment form, many persons answered "I can work at a time convenient for me" or "I want to support my household or to earn money for school, etc.", while not a small number of persons answered "I could not find a company where I can work as a regular employee." The number of persons who are unwillingly working as non-regular workers (the persons who are working as non-regular workers because they cannot find regular jobs) was 3.48 million persons during the period from January to March 2013. In addition, the non-regular employees who wish to become regular employees are increasing, and they are estimated as around 3.39 persons in 2010.

## (Toward expansion of employment and income through growth)

If the number of the persons who move from fixed-term contract workers to permanent workers increases and thereby employment is stabilized, companies can also expect such advantages as securing of human resources and stabilization of workforce. Also, there are persons who have unwillingly become non-regular workers in the midst of a severe employment situation. While focusing on the persons with high need for assistance, including the persons who are unwillingly working as non-regular workers, non-regular employees who wish to become regular employees, and non-regular workers who are the primary earners of households with a low household income, it is important for us to stabilize employment and improve treatment of employees, by providing opportunities for proper capability development, etc.

It is expected that, if many options are offered through "diversified ways of working," the companies will be able to generate motivation of employees and improve productivity through securing of human resources and an increase of workforce stability, and the non-regular workers will be able to develop careers and secure more stable employment and the number of persons who are unwillingly working as non-regular workers will decrease; and such offering of options can become an effective means to attain the work-life balance of regular employees.

Figure 31 shows the summarized breakdown of employees under this section, from the labour demand side and labour supply side. It is necessary to promote the actions for a favorable turn of economic conditions and growth, through cooperation among labour, management and the government.