250,000 non-regular workers to lose jobs by March

A Japanese government survey shows that more than 250,000 non-regular workers became unemployed or will lose their jobs in the 18 month period from October 2008 to March next year.

The labor ministry conducted the survey to monitor corporate layoff plans amid the ongoing economic slump.

As of December 16th, 250,291 non-regular workers became unemployed or are expected to lose their jobs by March 31st. The figure has risen by 3,444 from the previous survey in November.

Those dispatched by staffing agencies account for 145,044 of the total. The figure also includes 57,476 seasonal staff and 19,600 contract workers.

The survey shows that only 53 percent of around 118,000 laid-off workers have been able to find new jobs.

The survey also reveals that 57,189 regular staff have lost or will lose their jobs between October 2008 and March next year at companies which dismiss more than 100 workers at the same time. This marks an increase of 2,736 from the previous survey in November.