A turnaround in government policy to encourage company employees to hold side jobs or work multiple jobs — by revising the work regulation model that many businesses follow — responds to the need for greater flexibility in the labor market as manpower shortage tightens in the shrinking population. It may serve as a catalyst to alter the prevalent labor practices in this country based on seniority-based wage and promotion, which tend to tie most workers to the same employers until they hit retirement age.

Some questions remain, including which party will be responsible for managing employees' total work volume and protecting their health. The government needs to sort out these questions to establish a clear environment for corporate employees holding multiple jobs. At the same time, employers should be reminded that decisions rest with individual companies regarding what kind of manpower they want and what conditions they offer workers, including the option of holding side jobs. Instead of waiting for cues from the government, businesses need to take their own initiatives to offer employees more flexible ways of work.

According to the government's 2012 survey, the number of company employees wishing to hold side jobs had increased by 10 percent over the previous decade. But the number of those who actually engage in side jobs had declined by 10 percent. A Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry probe shows that more than 85 percent of companies in Japan have work regulations that prohibit employees from holding other jobs.