The government adopted a bill Friday to help people 45 and older find jobs under an emergency package of employment measures to cushion joblessness linked to the ongoing economic slump and Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's economic reform programs.
The bill, which the government hopes to implement Jan. 1, was endorsed at a Cabinet meeting and submitted immediately to the Diet for deliberations. The special provisional legislation expires on March 31, 2005.
Some of those targeted by the bill will receive an allowance to re-enter public job-training programs. It also allows such people to work for up to three years in temporary jobs found through staffing agencies. The current law limits such work to one year.