ABSTRACT
Since the1980s, Japanese employers and government have begun to stress the need for deregulation in the labor market. They have begun the process of dismantling institutions, that had originally been designed for decoupling workers' livelihoods from market outcomes. This institutional change supposedly resulted in reducing social protection against risks or periods of volatility in the markets. Japanese employees may be particularly vulnerable to such risks. The rapidly increasing number of non-permanent contract workers, as a result of this change, may cause an increase in economic insecurity among regular workers, as the latter are faced with a higher risk of losing their stable jobs and consequent loss of future income.
