Japanese labour minister Norihisa Tamura yesterday called for maintaining jobs for temporary workers amid concerns about the negative economic impact from a second state of emergency over the coronavirus, according to news agency Jiji Press.  "We want you to cooperate with your client companies to renew job contracts as much as possible," Tamura said in an online meeting with temporary staffing industry group leaders. Japan Staffing Services Association Chairman Hiromichi Tasaki said, "We aim to maintain and protect employment and make efforts to create work opportunities.” Non-regular workers, including temporary workers, have been hit hard by the coronavirus crisis. According to data from the labour ministry, over 80,000 people in Japan have been dismissed or seen their job contracts terminated since early February last year due to the coronavirus crisis. Non-regular workers account for nearly half of the total. 

The ministry worries that many people may see their employment contracts terminated during a peak renewal period at the fiscal year end on 31 March amid concerns over corporate earnings deterioration stemming from the second state of emergency declared last week by the Japanese government.