"「雇用シェア」のリスクとは？　「時給制」や「派遣」に転換される事例も", 3 Feb 2021

[Japanese-to-English translation by the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre]

“Employment sharing” is gaining attention as a way to maintain employment status during the Covid-19 pandemic. Also known as “employee sharing”, the practice involves deploying workers employed in industries with decreased demand (such as food services and air travel) to those with labour shortages, such as supermarkets and agriculture.

At first glance, employment sharing has merits for both workers and employers by protecting jobs even as the impact of Covid-19 persists. However, some workers have sought consultations with us [NPO POSSE] regarding employment sharing. These individuals raise concerns that labour conditions will worsen or they will be forced to work jobs that are completely different from their current responsibilities.

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What is important in employment sharing is: 1. employees’ consent, 2. income, and 3.duration of the deployment contract.

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One regular employee in the hospitality industry reported that her employer said she would be able to keep her job through employment sharing while the company rebuilds its business. However, she consulted us after she was unsatisfied with the new working conditions, which included switching to hourly pay and no clear indication of the deployment period. Currently paid at a monthly rate, the worker expressed concerns that she may have to work on an hourly rate indefinitely.

Meanwhile, another regular employee working in hospitality said her employer asked her to switch jobs to either the food or real estate industry after its profits dropped due to Covid-19. However, a problem arose when her employer ordered her to deploy to another company as a temporary employee.

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These incidents demonstrate that employment sharing can occur without clear explanation of working conditions and employment structure at an employee's deployment site. As a result, this situation could result in new labour risks.

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