Making employment more inclusive through a country-wide movement of short-time work

Solution
Short-time Work programme
Organization
SoftBank Corp.
Country of Implementation
Japan
Region
Asia & Pacific
Subregion
Southeast Asia
Start Year
2016
First published
03.12.2024

SoftBank Corp in Japan launched a short-time work initiative from 2021-2023, increasing participating organizations from 121 to 170. It supports diverse work styles for people with disabilities.

Two individuals, likely of Asian origin, are seated at a shared table, working collaboratively on laptops. In the background, a tablet displays a video call with four participants. This setting highlights remote teamwork and digital inclusion, emphasizing the role of technology in enabling communication and collaboration irrespective of physical location.
SoftBank Corp was one of the first companies in Japan to implement short-time work.

Solution details

People

Midori Umehara Website
“Short-time working hours have led to the social participation of people with disabilities, significantly improved productivity, and increased diversity.” Akihide Higashitani, Acting Director, CSR Planning Department 2, CSR Division, SoftBank Corp.

SoftBank Corp, involved in telecommunications and IT businesses in Japan, is implementing a short-time work initiative in collaboration with the Research Centre for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Tokyo. This programme allows individuals facing circumstances such as disabilities, caregiving responsibilities, or illness to work fewer than 20 hours per week. The objective is to support varied work styles and develop suitable work environments, making this employment model applicable across multiple companies. From 2021 to 2023 participating organizations increased from 121 to 170.

Problems Targeted

In the Japanese work culture of lifelong and full-time employment, people with disabilities find it difficult to get and stay in the labour market.

Solution, Innovation and Impact

In 2016, SoftBank Corp. implemented a short-time work programme based on a concept that hires employees – both with and without disabilities – for specific roles or tasks without requiring them to work full-time. This approach divides the duties of full-time employees into core and non-core tasks. Non-core tasks, such as annotation or data input, are assigned to short-time employees whose skills align with these responsibilities. The initiative supports all individuals, regardless of disability status, who are unable to work long hours or engage in multi-tasking. SoftBank Corp. actively promotes this programme among other organizations, municipalities, and disabled persons organizations (DPOs). Between 2021 and 2023 the number of DPOs participating in the practice increased from approximately 100 in 2021 to 165 in 2023. The programme offers benefits not only to individuals who have difficulty working long hours due to disabilities or other reasons but also to companies and their regular employees. The jobs offered to part-time employees include administrative support, data entry, customer service, and IT support. The gender ratio among part-time employees is approximately 40 per cent men and 60 per cent women.

Funding, Outlook and Transferability

SoftBank Corp. covers the promotion costs of the programme through its CSR budget. The short-time work initiative benefits all companies facing staff shortages. SoftBank now advises local governments and other companies on shorter work hours, collaborating with NGOs and public employment services. In 2023, Japan’s quota system for employing persons with disabilities was updated to include those working less than 20 hours. (Zero Project Awardee 2025)

Media

Pictures

Two individuals, likely of Asian origin, are seated at a shared table, working collaboratively on laptops. In the background, a tablet displays a video call with four participants. This setting highlights remote teamwork and digital inclusion, emphasizing the role of technology in enabling communication and collaboration irrespective of physical location. SoftBank Corp was one of the first companies in Japan to implement short-time work.
Two individuals, likely of Asian origin, are seated at a shared table, working collaboratively on laptops. In the background, a tablet displays a video call with four participants. This setting highlights remote teamwork and digital inclusion, emphasizing the role of technology in enabling communication and collaboration irrespective of physical location. SoftBank Corp was one of the first companies in Japan to implement short-time work.

Related information

Connections
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Solutions with the same:

Country of Implementation

Japan

Region of Implementation

Asia & Pacific