News Japan's telework ratio down to 22%

[thomas]

Japanese companies are continuing to reduce the use of teleworking after the government downgraded COVID-19 to a lower-risk disease category in May, despite workers' strong demand for remote working, a recent survey showed. The ratio of workers using the telework system dropped to 22.2 per cent, the lowest level since the novel coronavirus outbreak in the country.

In its initial survey conducted in April 2020, when Japan's first COVID state of emergency was declared, the ratio was 27.9 percent, rising as high as 28.5 percent in February 2022. [...] Despite the declining trend, 81.9 percent of those who engage in telework said they want to continue working remotely. The survey stopped short of providing reasons for their desire to keep the work style. Japan's accelerated shift to teleworking during the pandemic was largely due to the government-led drive to reduce the flow of people and slow the spread of infections. Although the country's downgrading of COVID-19's legal status on par with the seasonal flu accelerated the trend of employees returning to in-office work, Japanese companies have been reluctant to promote telework compared with companies of other major economies.

Labour market experts have pointed to various reasons for the limited spread of telework in Japan, including persistent concerns about a lack of face-to-face communication, the rigid and hierarchical work culture and a slower digital transition in society.

Japan firms reduce teleworking despite workers' strong demand: survey

Japanese companies are continuing to reduce the use of teleworking after the government downgraded COVID-19 to a lower-risk disease category in May, despite workers' strong demand for remote working, a recent survey showed.

english.kyodonews.net