The Democratic Party of Japan, leading in polls for next month's election, has announced proposals to help workers but could end up sending jobs overseas, according to some economists.
The DPJ's campaign manifesto released Thursday includes pledges to raise the minimum wage and ensure equal compensation for temporary workers, a growing group of employees who are paid about 40 percent less than full-timers. These so-called nonregular employees make up more than a third of the workforce and were the first to be fired during the current recession.
Companies have hired more temporary workers to cut costs and stay competitive. Even with those cost savings, the slump is driving more manufacturing offshore. Last month, Hoya Corp. closed its last domestic digital camera factory and cut 400 jobs. The company now makes all of its Pentax cameras in the Philippines and Vietnam.