May, 2005
SUMMARY OF THE 9TH QUESTIONNAIRE SURVEY
ON WORK AND LIFE OF WORKERS
★ The economy continues to improve, though at a bit slower pace. Consumption keeps rising and wage income also tends to be increasing.
★ More than half of the respondents want to reduce "hours spent working".
Women bear a disproportionately heavier burden of housework and childcare, and nearly 60 percent of the female respondents feel that they are overburdened.
Ⅰ Outline of Survey
1. Purpose of Survey
This survey aims to clarify the trends in economy, employment, income, and consumption, and to obtain the basic data for considering policy issues by identifying workers' awareness concerning their job and life.
2. Subject of Survey
Based on the sex and age distribution of employees, 900 private enterprise employees in their twenties to fifties living in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area and Kansai Area were selected from the monitors of INTAGE, Inc. The number of valid respondents in this survey is 802.
3. Period of Survey
From April 1-13, 2005
Ⅱ Outline of Survey Results
1. Regular survey items
○ Present and future prospect of business conditions continue to improve, though the rate of improvement is slowing down a little bit. Assessment of Business Conditions D.I. (diffusion index) is slightly reducing its positive value, both at present and in prospect (Chart 1).
○ In household consumption, <Increased> has exceeded <Decreased> for five consecutive half-year periods. The Household Consumption D.I. continues to remain positive, both at present and in prospect (Chart 2).
○ In wage income, <Increased> has exceeded <Decreased> for the first time since the start of this survey. The Wage Income D.I. has improved enough to just rise above the surface (Chart 3).
○ Commodity prices are strongly perceived as further rising. The Commodity Prices D.I. continues to rise both at present and in prospect (Chart 4).
○ The fear of unemployment has slightly increased (Chart 5).
○ At the workplace, fewer countermeasures against worsened economic conditions or personnel employment adjustments are being implemented. As for specific measures, for example, "Reduce personnel" fell below 30 percent (29.4%) for the first time. The severe environment in personnel management is steadily easing off (Chart 6).
○ Regarding changes in workplace conditions, "Introduction of a wage system with possible wage reduction" has slightly declined, but it still remains at the top with more than 30 percent (35.9%) (Chart 7).
2. The 9th Survey - Special survey items: Working Hours and the Balance between Work and Lifestyle
○ On the balance between work and lifestyle, more than half (51.6%) feel that they want to reduce "hours spent working"(Chart 8).
○ Among reasons why they want to reduce "hours spent working", "Want to have more time for hobbies and pastimes" (69.4%) is the most popular with roughly 70 percent, followed by "Want more time for rest/sleep"(65.7%), and then by "Want more time to spend in family matters"(59.1%) (Chart 9).
○ Females bear almost the entire burden of housework and childcare. More than 40 percent of males either "rarely" or "never" do housework. Males most commonly take part in childcare "once or twice a week" and on the whole, males participate in childcare more often than they do in housework (Chart 10).
○ Nearly 60 percent of women "feel burdened" with housework (56.7%). The proportion of women who "feel considerably burdened" increases as their actual working hours get longer (Chart 11).
○ Many females want to improve the way housework is shared by "furthering partnership among the family" (34.5%), or by "reducing their own share of housework" (29.9%). Among males, many answered that they "maintain the present level of housework sharing" (45.3%) or that they "don't particularly think about sharing housework" (31.3%). Only less than 20 percent answered that they "want to increase their own share of housework" (Chart 12).
SUMMARY OF THE 9TH QUESTIONNAIRE SURVEY
ON WORK AND LIFE OF WORKERS
★ The economy continues to improve, though at a bit slower pace. Consumption keeps rising and wage income also tends to be increasing.
★ More than half of the respondents want to reduce "hours spent working".
Women bear a disproportionately heavier burden of housework and childcare, and nearly 60 percent of the female respondents feel that they are overburdened.
Ⅰ Outline of Survey
1. Purpose of Survey
This survey aims to clarify the trends in economy, employment, income, and consumption, and to obtain the basic data for considering policy issues by identifying workers' awareness concerning their job and life.
2. Subject of Survey
Based on the sex and age distribution of employees, 900 private enterprise employees in their twenties to fifties living in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area and Kansai Area were selected from the monitors of INTAGE, Inc. The number of valid respondents in this survey is 802.
3. Period of Survey
From April 1-13, 2005
Ⅱ Outline of Survey Results
1. Regular survey items
○ Present and future prospect of business conditions continue to improve, though the rate of improvement is slowing down a little bit. Assessment of Business Conditions D.I. (diffusion index) is slightly reducing its positive value, both at present and in prospect (Chart 1).
○ In household consumption, <Increased> has exceeded <Decreased> for five consecutive half-year periods. The Household Consumption D.I. continues to remain positive, both at present and in prospect (Chart 2).
○ In wage income, <Increased> has exceeded <Decreased> for the first time since the start of this survey. The Wage Income D.I. has improved enough to just rise above the surface (Chart 3).
○ Commodity prices are strongly perceived as further rising. The Commodity Prices D.I. continues to rise both at present and in prospect (Chart 4).
○ The fear of unemployment has slightly increased (Chart 5).
○ At the workplace, fewer countermeasures against worsened economic conditions or personnel employment adjustments are being implemented. As for specific measures, for example, "Reduce personnel" fell below 30 percent (29.4%) for the first time. The severe environment in personnel management is steadily easing off (Chart 6).
○ Regarding changes in workplace conditions, "Introduction of a wage system with possible wage reduction" has slightly declined, but it still remains at the top with more than 30 percent (35.9%) (Chart 7).
2. The 9th Survey - Special survey items: Working Hours and the Balance between Work and Lifestyle
○ On the balance between work and lifestyle, more than half (51.6%) feel that they want to reduce "hours spent working"(Chart 8).
○ Among reasons why they want to reduce "hours spent working", "Want to have more time for hobbies and pastimes" (69.4%) is the most popular with roughly 70 percent, followed by "Want more time for rest/sleep"(65.7%), and then by "Want more time to spend in family matters"(59.1%) (Chart 9).
○ Females bear almost the entire burden of housework and childcare. More than 40 percent of males either "rarely" or "never" do housework. Males most commonly take part in childcare "once or twice a week" and on the whole, males participate in childcare more often than they do in housework (Chart 10).
○ Nearly 60 percent of women "feel burdened" with housework (56.7%). The proportion of women who "feel considerably burdened" increases as their actual working hours get longer (Chart 11).
○ Many females want to improve the way housework is shared by "furthering partnership among the family" (34.5%), or by "reducing their own share of housework" (29.9%). Among males, many answered that they "maintain the present level of housework sharing" (45.3%) or that they "don't particularly think about sharing housework" (31.3%). Only less than 20 percent answered that they "want to increase their own share of housework" (Chart 12).