WFH in Japan limited to office workers, survey finds

Staff working from locations other than their offices accounted for 19.2% of all workers in Japan in April, which is almost unchanged from levels in July 2020.
By: | April 28, 2021
Topics: Employee Experience | Hybrid Working | Japan | Mobility | News | Restructuring

Although businesses in Japan have rolled out remote working policies due to the pandemic, those regularly working from home or elsewhere are limited largely to office workers, finds a survey by the Japan Productivity Center. 

Staff working from locations other than their offices accounted for 19.2% of all workers in Japan in April, which is almost unchanged from levels in July 2020, according to the survey. 

In January, a survey conducted by the Japan Business Federation, or Keidanren, showed that remote working has become an option for 90% of the companies surveyed. It therefore estimated that remote working policies have helped to lower the number of workers commuting to their offices by about 870,000. 

Companies that have not introduced an option to work remotely have cited reasons such as the need for in-person customer services and security issues. 

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The types of work that cannot be done without in-person contact are increasing,” Nobuyuki Koga, chairman of Keidanren’s Board of Councilors, recently said in response to Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike’s request for the prioritisation of remote working, according to The Japan Times.