The Labor Market and Industrial Relations for Non-regular Workers

Among the top issues surrounding non-regular workers discussed during the past decade is their management. This chapter provides a focused examination of this issue. In 2007, a turning point in management of non-regular workers, workplaces were forced to depart both formally and informally from their existing ways of managing these workers, as legislation on their protection2 went into effect. Before 2007, the ultimate goal of HR managers concerning non-regular work was to cut staffing costs to increase employment efficiency and secure workforce flexibility. While a major trend related to the management of non-regular workers did end up converging with this goal, by examining changes derived over time from various relationships within the workplace (between regular and non-regular workers, employers and non-regular workers, etc.), we believe this study can open up even more avenues for analysis.