Author: TalentHub

Side Job in Japan

These days, we often hear this word; “Fukugyo” or side job. Probably, side job has rooted since a long time ago in other countries, but it is very recent that this word started to be heard often in Japan. Last year, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare created a guideline of side jobs, and we can guess the government is trying to prepare environments for this work style. Then, how much does side job spread out? One consulting firm, Persol Research and Consulting Company, had a survey and it contains a lot of information. So at first, let’s look into it and find out the side job in Japan.

Real Opinion about Side Job

Persol Research and Consulting Company took a survey about a side job to over 10,000 workers (it’s all Japanese, but you can check the content from here). We are going to take a close look into that survey.

① The ratio of people who are doing or have done a side job
About 10% of 13,958 workers answered they’re currently doing a side job, and also about 10% of them said they have done it before. What do you think of this number? If a side job is popular in your country, you may think the ratio is quite low. However, in my personal opinion, the number was higher than I had expected. Side job is just getting started to be popular here, so there’s a possibility that the ratio would gradually rise in the future.

② The ratio of people who are willing to do a side job
We learned how many people are doing (and did) side jobs. Nextly, how many people are interested in it? About 40% of 12,437 workers who are not currently doing side jobs answered they are  interested or curious about it. I’m a bit surprised that about half of them said so. Many companies did not allow side jobs, but in these days, there’s a trend that some of the companies have changed their rules. Meaning, the employees are allowed to do a side job. It can be true that a certain number of workers showed their interest toward side jobs because of this change.

③ The length of time for a side job
A side job is not the main job for workers, then how long do they spend on it? According to the survey, they use averages of 10.5 hours a week. They have two days off, therefore, they spend approximately 2.1 hours a day. By the way, the total length of working time, including the side job, is about 55 hours a week on average. That is to say, they are spending about 20% of the total work hours for the side job.

④ The average salary received from a side job
We learned it is difficult to spend long hours on a side job. If so, how much do they make from a side job? Survey says the average monthly income from a side job is about 70,000 yen. That’s not so big amount, but considering that workers spend only 2 hours a day, this amount is not bad, isn’t it?

What are the Merits and Demerits of Doing a Side Job

Everything has strong points and weak points. The same goes for a side job as well. Then, how did the workers who have done the side job answer to this question?

・Merits
Many said they got higher motivation to do the main job after starting a side job. Besides, some answered they could abandon the stereotype of working style. Side job is still new for Japanese, so it may make them realize that there are various ways of working.

・Demerits
Some of the demerits they answered are related to overtime work. Some got sick and some became unable to devote their energy to the main job. Doing a side job means we have to consume more time and labor. Therefore, finding and keeping a good balance may be a key to success in your dual job life.

***

A number of companies and even governments are being open to a side job. I wonder this new working style will take root or not. Let me hear your opinion in the comment section!


?Read more TalentHub blogs: https://talenthub.jp/blog/?lang=en

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