Union membership rises for 3rd straight yr in Japan

December 25, 2017

Tokyo- The number of labor union members in Japan as of the end of June rose 0.4 pct from a year earlier, up for the third straight year, the labor ministry said in a survey report on Monday.

The total, which stood at 9,981,000, was pushed up by an increase in female part-time workers who became union members, according to the report.

Meanwhile, the unionization rate, or the share of union members among total employees, fell 0.2 percentage point to 17.1 pct, a new record low for the sixth consecutive year.

The decline came after the total number of employees increased thanks to an improvement in the employment situation in the country. Jiji Press