|
 |
第7号
津崎 克彦 Katsuhiko Tsuzaki非正規社員の多様化と基幹化
Enhanced Diversity and Essentiality of Non-regular Employees in Japan
2009年08月 発行
[ 要旨 ]
既存研究によれば、一九九〇年代以降の日本における非正規社員の拡大は、単に労働市場において非正規社員の人数が増加したというだけでなく、同時に非正規社員が職場の中で相対的に高度な職務を担うようになるという現象（非正規社員の質的基幹化）が並行して起きた。しかし、なぜ非正規社員の質的基幹化が起きたのか、また、その影響はどのようなものかという点について、これまでの研究は十分な説明を行ってこなかった。本研究は非正規社員の人数が比較的多い小売業チェーン店を対象にアンケート調査の分析を通して、質的基幹化の原因と影響を明らかにした。
本研究の結論は次のようなものである。第一に、従来、一元的に捉えられてきた「質的基幹化」は、現在の日本の職場においては、比較的簡単な業務を数多くこなすようになる「多能的基幹化」と、高レベルの職務を担当し、高い責任を負い、長時間就労する「高度基幹化」の二つの方向性に整理できる。第二に、前者の多能的基幹化は主婦パートを中心に、また企業による多様な人的資源管理の工夫により進展している。しかし、後者の高度基幹化では賃金以外の人事労務管理の工夫は影響を与えておらず、また属性面ではフリーターや三五歳以上の主婦パート以外の非正規社員によって担われている。一九九〇年代以降、非正規社員という働き方がいわゆる主婦以外にも拡大したことと考え合わせると、高度基幹化はこの時代の新しい現象であるといえる。第三に、非正規社員は職場で基幹的な役割を果たせば果たすほど、正社員との間に存在する格差に強く不公平感を抱くようになる。こうした不公平感は、主婦パート以外の非正規社員にとっては、離職よりも正社員登用制度の拡大に対する支持につながっている。
[ Abstract ]
Previous studies have shown that the growth in the number of non-regular employees in Japan since the 1990s has occurred not only in terms of increased share of the labor market, but also in the form of more advanced work duties (herein referred to as ‘nonregular employee essentiality’). However, previous studies have failed to sufficiently explain the reasons behind this ‘non-regular employee essentiality’ or the nature of its impact. In the current study, we have demonstrated the causes and effects of ‘qualitative essentiality’ by analyzing the results of a questionnaire which targeted retail chain stores employing a relatively large number of non-regular employees.
The conclusions of our study are as follows: Firstly, ‘qualitative essentiality’ which was previously perceived in a one-dimensional sense can today be divided into two aspects: ‘versatile essentiality’, which involves the coordination of a large number of comparatively simple duties, and ‘advanced essentiality’, which involves the assumption of high-level duties, a high degree of responsibility and long working hours. Secondly, ‘versatile essentiality’ is developing with a focus on housewives employed on a part-time basis as well as due to a diverse range of corporate human resource management initiatives. However, ‘advanced essentiality’ remains unaffected by non wage-related labor management initiatives and is undertaken by non-regular employees, not including .freeters", and part-time housewives aged 35 years or older. Bearing in mind that non-regular employment has expanded beyond housewives since the 1990s, ‘advanced essentiality’ could be seen as a new phenomenon of this generation. Thirdly, the more ‘essential’ the role that non-regular employees fulfill, the more acute their sense of inequality becomes with regard to the disparity that exists between them and their regular employee counterparts. Instead of encouraging higher turnover rates, this sense of inequality is leading to advocacy among non-regular employees (except part-time housewives) of an expanded system for the appointment of regular employees.