Ten years have passed since the Act Promoting Measures to Prevent Death and Injury from Overwork was enacted in June 2014. Various steps have been taken over the past years to reduce cases of death from overwork, or karoshi, in line with the Outline for Measures to Prevent Death and Injury from Overwork. In August 2024, amendments were made to this Outline. This article looks into major points.
[1] Strict adherence to the rules limiting overtime work
Since April 2024, rules on upper limits to overtime work have been applied to all companies. The Labor Standards Inspection Offices are increasing supervision to ensure the rules are being followed. The authorities have also provided specific measures for industry types by considering conventional business practices and working environment.
Example: trucking business
The authorities are promoting measures to ensure appropriate transportation operations through an increase in inspection agents to tighten supervision and 8% hike in standard shipping charges.
In line with the act passed in April to promote appropriate pricing to improve logistics efficiency and secure funds for raising wages as part of structural measures, the government will draft necessary ordinances to implement the act.
Example: construction business
The government will promote measures based on the law passed in 2024. Its aim is to support companies, including subcontractors, to secure funds for wages to improve workers’ treatment, reduce pressure on labor expenses by smooth cost pass-through onto prices and encourage employers to implement work style reforms and improve work efficiency.
[2] Measures to prevent recurrence for companies that have caused workers’ karoshi or other serious problems
Labor standards authority will give supervision or individual instructions to companies where karoshi or other serious problems have occurred and require them to draw up company-wide measures to prevent recurrence.
Firms that have had multiple cases of karoshi or similar problems in a certain period will receive instruction from the director of prefectural labor bureau to formulate a plan to improve working conditions and prevent recurrence. Officials will also provide advice and instructions to ensure efforts will be made continuously in the entire organization based on the plan.
[3] Flexible ways of working
The government will promote efforts to allow various ways of working according to individual workers’ circumstances, such as teleworking, side businesses, or freelance work. Particularly, the act on freelance transactions will be implemented on Nov 1, 2024. Various steps will be taken to ensure rules will be followed under the law.
[4] Numerical targets to prevent karoshi
The government has set numerical targets concerning work hours, intervals between work hours, annual paid leave and measures to ensure mental health.
For instance, efforts will be made to reduce the ratio of workers whose weekly work hours are 60 hours or more among those working 40 hours or more to 5% or lower by 2028. (The ratio was 8.4% in 2023.) As for annual paid leave, the target of paid leave usage rate is set at 70% or higher to be achieved by 2028.
Companies struggling with chronic labor shortage are on the rise. Many of them manage to maintain service levels by making workers extra hours or on holidays. Overwork puts strain on workers life or health and also becomes a reason for workers to leave. To stably secure human resources, companies are encouraged to improve their business operations and prevent overwork.
[Reference]
Labour Ministry, “The Cabinet Office has approved amendments to the Outline for Measures to Prevent Death and Injury from Overwork”
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/newpage_41932.html
