Most overworked prefectures in Japan

Rikunavi Next created the ”Happy Overtime Points” index, derived from the average overtime compensation and hours of overtime worked in each prefecture. The higher the points, the higher the overtime compensation and the lower the amount of overtime hours.

I am often at work after normal working hours, but I haven't met this "paid overtime". Maybe its time for a move to Nara?

I don't have to work overtime, but I live in a prefecture towards the bottom on the list, and it effects me via my boyfriend. He works at least 30 hours a week overtime, ZERO overtime pay. No raises, no bonuses, yet they are swamped with work. I am sure the president of the company is living well, but tells the employees 'it's the bad economy' and they just say 'it can't be helped'

Th japanese worker is so ideal for the japanese employer. Docile, never complaining, willing to work himself to death, willing to work overtime for free. They just gaman and shogainai themselves What a paradise for employers.

Is it paid overtime? That is the larger question, I've never in 20 years seen a company (besides the government) pay for overtime (yes 100% illegal).

In 7 years I have never ever heard of anyone EVER getting paid for working over time? Explain this to me. When and where would you EVER get overtime in Japan. First off. something like over 30% of ALL jobs fall into the part time catageroy. They will never even get full time benefits and never come close to overtime. Most of the other people are SALARIED workers like my self. No where in my contract does it say work this many hours or work that many hours. After I signed the damn thing they told me I have to work 6 hours every other saturday. Why? Beucase that is what everyone else does.... Some people stay 30 hours a week. Some stay 60. We all have the same contract, minus length of contract and pay scale. There is no way to even begin to calculate overtime. The few people in Japan. I know of very few hourly workers who are full time. I am sure they are the ones who could some how be eligble for over time. If you are salary worker there is ZERO concept of overtime. Just time.

I work for a manufacturing company and I get paid for overtime at a quarter above rate. You must approach your manager, give a good reason why you need it and get his approval. The wasteful overtime in the past was beyond a joke and the company clamped down. That said, many workers do work unpaid and I'm sure some would have a good reason to claim overtime pay. For some, claiming overtime pay doesn't seem to be the done thing or an admission of inefficiency - which it often is.

so this is PAID overtime, not actual total overtime, which is probably pretty hard to measure.

most of Kansai is in the top 10 ish, where I live. is everyone more stressed here? or better paid for their overtime and therefore less stressed?

Let's be clear here, there's a difference between "work hard" and "work smart". Over-working more often than not is the result of inefficiency (ie. faffing around in the office).

What a lame study. It is a few fries short of a happy meal.

It might tell us about overtime hours (though posters above have noted how difficult these are to measure), but reporting the amount of compensation does not tell us how much this is above regular pay. I suppose in Japan and under neo-liberal globalization, we now are trained to rejoice if we receive any overtime pay, but if it is only say 1.2 times regular pay, is that something to be happy about? If in Naga base pay is 1,000 and overtime is the reported 1,769, then it seems fair if all extra work is paid. This report also doesn't indicate which types of work pay and which are extra-exploitative.

Years back, with a good union job, I received 1.5 times for overtime on a Saturday and for work after the shift ended and double time for a Sunday.

Are there work unions in Japan?? I can imagine the unions in my country getting a sheer heart attack after reading about how much overtime Japanese workers work.... For once, I am happy I am from an EU country @_@

This article is confusing... What's the point of being "optimistic"?was it along the lines of "happy overtime points"? what a load of crap...

"Happy overtime" is pure and simple PAID overtime which this article tries to accomplish, but it does not reflect the reality in Japan that maybe of all the labor force that works overtime only a small percentage is paid.

As for the interpretation of the results I didn't like the idea of putting the low ranked prefectures as "4.6 hrs more of overtime", which is the reference point?? the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd ranked ones? (i don't think so) or maybe the average of the sample. The same problem comes across when saying "they receive 331 Y less"....

If they don't want to make look some prefectures less attractive for the people... then don't do this kind or article, for every ranking you put, especially of some one of negative perception (it doesn't work that you try to put it in a "happy" way) the one that are at the bottom of the ranking will have negative publicity....

My wife works for a major Japanese insurer in one of the prefectures in the Top 10 on this list and works on average 15 hours of overtime per week, the vast majority of it unpaid. I say majority because overtime is paid in this manner in this company:

Boss: "Last month, we didn't meet our targets, so the company could only pay you all for 10% of worked overtime. But this month is better, so we'll let you claim 15% of what you're actually owed. Oh, and we're going to be a whole lot busier in the second fiscal half. Gambarou!!"

While I would like to rage and rail against Japanese CEOs for raking in stupendous salaries while the common worker toils thanklessly, it would be disingenuous to do so. Japanese CEOs make far less than their Western counterparts, in many cases as much as 1/100th less. So it's not like the CEOs are flagrantly fleecing the workers.

But there most certainly is a problem with Japanese business acumen that requires an office of, say, 25 employees (in the case of my wife's workplace) to work a combined total of 375 hours of unpaid overtime per week, instead of doing something more, I don't know, SANE like hiring a few extra employees to lighten the workload and help buoy this economy.

This could explain why no one from Nara ever leaves.