"Aging Population and Labor Shortage..." Japanese Local Governments Allowing Moonlighting for Public Officials
by Choi Seungwoo
Published 30 Jul.2023 09:37(KST)
"Labor Shortage in Production Sites Reaches Critical Level"
Increasing Number of Local Governments Allow Side Jobs in Agriculture and Social Activities
Recently, the number of local governments in Japan permitting public officials to have side jobs is increasing. This is a desperate measure to address labor shortages caused by a decline in agricultural workers and an aging population.
On the 25th, local media such as The Japan News and the Japan Agricultural Newspaper reported that “cases of local governments in Japan allowing public officials to have side jobs are on the rise.” According to a survey by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, as of 2018, the number of permissions granted for side jobs to local public officials nationwide reached 41,669 cases.
Most side jobs are in agriculture. Currently, 10 municipalities?including 3 prefectures and 7 cities/towns?allow agriculture as a side job. Previously, agriculture was classified as a profit-making business, making side jobs in this field impossible. However, the system was revised recognizing that protecting agriculture, the region’s main industry, corresponds to regional contribution and public interest.
A representative example is Higashine City in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan’s largest cherry-producing area, which permitted public officials to have side jobs in April to address labor shortages on cherry farms.
The Japan News introduced the cases of Tadashi Fukase (48) and Sota Kohei (20), public officials affiliated with the Higashine City Department of Living Environment, who, with the city’s permission, worked two hours before commuting at dawn harvesting cherries for an hourly wage of 1,200 yen (about 11,000 won).
A representative from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries explained the background for permitting side jobs for public officials: “Cherry harvesting must be concentrated within about a month and a half, but sometimes it is left unattended due to labor shortages.”
Besides Higashine, side jobs during the harvest seasons of local specialties such as cherries, tangerines, and apples have been permitted in Sagae City in Yamagata Prefecture, Arita City in Wakayama Prefecture, and Hirosaki City in Aomori Prefecture, respectively. In Nanyo City, side jobs related to all fruits are allowed.
All municipalities permitting side jobs have restricted the hours during which side jobs can be performed to avoid affecting employees’ regular working hours. In Sagae City, the limit is up to 8 hours per week and 30 hours per month, in accordance with national public official standards.
These local governments stated, “Agriculture supports not only production but also processing, distribution, and tourism, sustaining the entire regional economy. Recently, labor shortages at production sites have reached a dangerous level.”
Some places have also allowed side jobs related to social activities. Kobe City in Hyogo Prefecture has permitted side jobs such as sign language interpretation and after-school activity guidance at junior high schools since 2017.
Hiroaki Inatsugu, a professor of local government studies at Waseda University, said, “Encouraging side jobs for public officials helps demonstrate the attitude of local governments trying to solve community problems.”
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