ABSTRACT
Japan is said to be one of the most equal among developed countries. However, inequality is also a problem in Japan. The stark rise in non-regular employees is one of the most noticeable changes in Japan’s labour market during the Heisei period. The risk of working in non-regular employment is not evenly spread across the working population. It affects some more than others. The biggest difference is based on gender, where women are far more likely to work in non-regular employment than men. This chapter investigates whether subjective well-being has changed over 20 years based on employment status. The impact of non-regular employment on subjective well-being may depend on whether the non-regular job is the main source of income. While women are more likely to work in non-regular jobs when compared to men, it is likely that such non-regular jobs are not the main source of income for them.
