Rules on clarifying working conditions: scope of changes, renewal limits and conversion to indefinite-term contracts (from April 2024, Reiwa 6)What your employer has to tell you in writing when you start a job
From April 2024 (Reiwa 6), when concluding an employment contract and when renewing a fixed-term employment contract, employers must clarify the scope of changes to the place of work and duties, in addition to those immediately after hiring. For fixed-term contracts, they must also state whether there is a renewal limit and what it is, and, at renewals that give rise to the right to apply for conversion to an indefinite-term contract, the opportunity to apply and the working conditions after conversion.
Key points
- Scope of changes to place of work and duties: at the conclusion of all employment contracts and at renewals of fixed-term employment contracts
- Whether there is a renewal limit (total contract period or number of renewals) and its content: at the conclusion and renewal of fixed-term employment contracts
- If a renewal limit is newly introduced or shortened after the first contract was concluded, the reason must be explained to the worker in advance
- The opportunity to apply for conversion to an indefinite-term contract and the working conditions after conversion: at renewals of contracts where the right to apply for conversion arises
- Employers should endeavor to explain to fixed-term workers the matters considered to keep a balance with regular employees regarding the working conditions after conversion
What to do in practice
- Add fields for the scope of changes and the renewal limit to the working conditions notice form
- Decide the procedure for explaining the reason in advance when a renewal limit is newly introduced or shortened
Whether you are a part-timer or a regular employee, when you start working, the company must write down and tell you the conditions you will work under. From April 2024, a little more has to be told. The rule is there so that nobody ends up saying "I was never told" later, by giving the important things in advance.
- ○Applies: The range of workplaces and jobs that might change in the future
- ○Applies: A limit on how many times or how long the contract can be renewed (whether there is one)
- ○Applies: That you can apply to switch to a contract with no set end date
- ○Applies: An explanation of the reason when the limit is shortened later
Points
- Not only "here, doing this job at first," but also the range of places and jobs it might change to in the future must be written down
- Whether there is a limit on how many times or how long your contract can be renewed must also be written down
- People who have worked at the same workplace for a long time must also be told, at that time, about the chance to switch to a contract that lasts "for as long as you want to work"
What the words mean
- Renewal limit
- The upper limit on how many times a contract can be renewed, or how long you can work
- Conversion to indefinite term (無期転換)
- Changing from a contract with a set end date to a contract with no set end date
- Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) (Kumamoto Labour Bureau): Kumamoto Labour Bureau: Rules on clarifying working conditions change from April 2024 (Reiwa 6)
This article summarizes and explains materials published by government agencies and is not advice on any individual case. Rules can change, so for actual procedures and decisions always check the latest original materials and consult professionals such as tax accountants or labor and social security attorneys. English, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese versions are translations prepared from the Japanese articles for convenience. If anything differs, the Japanese text and the original source take precedence.