The rules on the explanation of labor conditions will be amended from April 2024. The change includes indication of labor conditions when companies recruit workers. This article looks into details of the change.
[1] Explicit indication of possible changes in the contents and place of work
Companies are required to indicate contents of job duties and the place of work in recruiting employees. Currently, companies need to provide the information to be applied immediately after hiring, but from April 2024, they will also be required to indicate “the scope of change in the contents and place of work.” This means companies must clarify the scope of change in job duties or the place of work that might occur during the contract period due to personnel transfers, etc. For example, if a newly hired worker will be first assigned to corporate sales but might be charged with overall company operations except for manufacturing during the contract period, the contract’s “scope of change” column must explicitly indicate “overall company operations, excluding manufacturing.”
[2] Criteria in renewing a fixed-term contract
From April 2024, when companies hire fixed-term workers or renew their contracts, they will be required to indicate whether there is a limit to the number of renewals and the detail of the limit, if applicable. Companies also need to state the criteria for renewing their contracts. In recruiting, companies are required to indicate the criteria for contract renewal, if they seek to hire workers under renewable contracts.
[3] Key points to indicating the information
After April 2024, companies recruiting workers through the Hello Work or their own websites will have to indicate the items described above in the job application form and recruitment guidelines. If providing all the required information is difficult, because the space is limited or for other reasons, companies are allowed to provide the information at a different timing by indicating that details will be explained in the interview. Even in this case, companies, as a basic rule, must provide applicants with full labor conditions before the first meeting with them, like a job interview.
If recruitment activities are conducted by individual departments, companies will need to ensure the job application forms or recruitment guidelines include all the necessary items. Please reexamine the internal flow of recruitment activities.
[Reference]
Labour Ministry, “Items to be explicitly indicated when recruiting will be added from April 2024”
