雇用対策 意欲ある若者や女性に仕事を

The Yomiuri Shimbun (Jul. 6, 2010)
Job security essential for growth strategy
雇用対策　意欲ある若者や女性に仕事を（7月5日付・読売社説）

The growth of the elderly population and contraction of the working-age population of people aged 15 to 64 are progressing at an alarming pace.
　高齢者の増加と１５歳から６４歳までの生産年齢人口の減少が、猛烈な勢いで進んでいる。

To boost domestic consumption and ensure sustainable economic growth, society must enable young people and women who are keen to work to do so--and under fair conditions, including regarding payment.
　消費を盛り上げ、経済の持続的な成長を可能とするためには、若者や女性が意欲的に働き、賃金面などでも適切に処遇されるような社会にしていくことが重要だ。

The employment situation is still grim, with the jobless rate staying stubbornly around the 5 percent level.
　ところが、失業率が５％台で高止まりするなど、足元の雇用情勢は依然として厳しい。

Faced with ferocious competition and intense price wars, many companies have opted not to increase their number of regular workers, but instead to hire nonregular workers and pile more overtime work on regular workers. This trend has become prevalent in various industries.
　過当競争、値下げ競争の激化から、正社員は増やさず、従業員の残業や非正規雇用で対応する傾向も様々な業界で広がっている。

Given the seriousness of the situation, it is natural that political parties--in their campaign platforms for the forthcoming House of Councillors election--have devised growth strategies aimed at creating jobs.
　こうした問題の深刻さを踏まえれば、参院選公約で各政党が成長戦略による雇用創出策を打ち出したのは、当然のことだ。

The Democratic Party of Japan aims to pursue a "third way" that does not center on public works projects nor lean too far toward overly free market principles. In concrete terms, the ruling party plans to create about 5 million new jobs in the coming decade by resolving pressing issues, thereby generating economic growth.
　民主党は、「公共事業中心」でも「偏った市場原理主義」に基づく政策でもない「第三の道」に取り組むという。具体的には、喫緊の課題の解決策を通じて１０年間に約５００万人の雇用を創出し、成長につなげるとしている。

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Fresh perspective lacking

The DPJ plans to increase employment in the environment/energy and medical/nursing care fields. However, this policy is nothing new. It echoes many measures churned out by Liberal Democratic Party-led administrations whenever an employment crisis loomed.
　要は、環境・エネルギーや、医療・介護サービスの分野で新たな雇用を増やそうというのだが、雇用危機のたびに打ち出されてきた自民党政権時代の対策と大同小異で、新味に乏しい。

The DPJ has failed to spell out a clear path to growth. The party has worked out measures to be implemented in the current and next fiscal years, but this will not be enough. The DPJ should explain more precisely the job creation effect each measure will bring for each fiscal year, as well as how the measures will be funded.
　成長への道筋も曖昧(あいまい)だ。一応、今年度や来年度に実施すべき施策を定めてはいるが、それぞれの施策が生み出す単年度ごとの雇用創出効果や財源の裏づけなどを、もっと具体的に示すべきだ。

The government's growth strategy includes a goal of raising the nation's lowest minimum hourly wage to 800 yen as quickly as possible, thereby boosting the national average minimum hourly wage to 1,000 yen. These are lofty targets when considering that the lowest hourly wage is currently 629 yen and the national average 713 yen.
　政府の成長戦略には、最低賃金について、時間給で「できる限り早期に全国最低８００円を確保し全国平均１０００円を目指す」ことも盛り込まれた。現在の最低６２９円、全国平均７１３円からみれば、極めて高い目標だ。

In some regions, people on the minimum wage earn less than people receiving welfare benefits. With the number of nonregular workers increasing, the minimum wage needs to be raised. But if a minimum wage increase is introduced without due consideration of the conditions in different regions and industries, the additional costs could hurt employers to the extent that the workers lose their jobs.
　最低賃金の方が生活保護より低い地域がある。非正規労働者も増加する中で、賃金の底上げは必要だが、地域や業界の実態を顧みずに強行すれば、かえって雇用の場が失われてしまう。

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Drop dispatch law revision

Only through harnessing growth industries and overhauling its industrial structure can this nation come close to attaining the goals laid out by the government.
　成長産業を育て、産業構造の転換を進めてこそ、目標に近づくこともできるのではないか。

A bill to revise the Worker Dispatch Law, which would prohibit temporary workers in the manufacturing industry, has been carried over to the next Diet session from the ordinary session that ended in mid-June. However, we suggest the revision be called off altogether. Introducing such a ban could spell disaster for many workers. If the dispatch ban deals a blow to the management of small and midsize companies, the damage could be irreparable.
　製造業派遣などを禁じる労働者派遣法改正案は、先の通常国会で継続審議となったが、もう白紙に戻してはどうか。雇用への悪影響が懸念されている。中小企業の経営にも打撃を与える事態になっては取り返しがつかない。

The government must craft economic measures by looking more squarely at the circumstances of each industry. The government and industrial circles should work in concert to improve the quantity and quality of jobs available.
　政府は、各産業の置かれた状況をもっと直視して対策を考えるべきだ。量と質の両面で雇用を改善するには、政府と産業界の一致協力が不可欠だ。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, July 5, 2010)
（2010年7月5日01時35分 読売新聞）