10 The Cabinet Personnel Review Council, established in 1997 by the Chief Cabinet Secretary and three Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretaries, has conducted preliminary reviews of appointments at the director-general level and above, but has generally approved proposals submitted by each ministry and agency.11 The Cabinet Order pertaining to the aptitude screening and the list of candidates is to be established after hearing the opinion of the National Personnel Authority.(1) Work style reform The main pillars of work style reform for national public employees are (1) realizing diverse and flexible work styles, (2) was reformed in 2012 to abolish the Career/Non-Career entrance sorting, this course will select executive candidates at any time by each Minister from among officials who have had work experience for a certain period (3 to 10 years after initial appointment), based on their wishes and personnel evaluation, regardless of the category of the recruitment examination. The program is designed to develop candidates comprehensively and systematically for executive positions. improving long working hours, and (3) supporting work-life balance. Although many of the executive candidates are those who have passed the Comprehensive Service examination, which is considered to be for cadets, there are also those who have passed other types of examinations, and the Career/Non-Career entrance sorting has become a formality. Since 1999, there had been a system for selecting outstanding Non-Careers and promoting them to the level of division director or higher through training and on-the-job training, and the number of Non-Careers promoted to managerial positions continues to increase under this new course. In 2020, a Non-Career employee was promoted to an administrative vice minister level position in the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Regarding (1), there are several systems that allow greater flexibility in managing working hours: a system that allows employees to set earlier (later) than normal working hours, a flextime system with a minimum of 2-4 hours per day within 38 hours and 45 minutes per week, and special leave for various reasons such as infertility treatment and volunteer work. In March 2023, an expert panel of the NPA proposed a three-day workweek, an 11-hour interval system between offices, and teleworking if it does not interfere with work duties. Further reforms are also expected in the future. Regarding (2), this has been a long-standing problem in the national public service, but improvements have not progressed well. Various causes have been identified, such as the need to respond to the Diet, the ever-increasing number of new policies and sudden policy changes, the need to respond to disasters and emergencies, the shortage of manpower, the old-fashioned mindset that takes long working hours for granted, and the delay in the digitalization of administrative procedures. Overtime for public employees is generally limited to 45 hours per month or 360 hours per year, or less than 100 hours per month or 720 hours per year for employees in departments with a high proportion of heteronomous work. However, the head of each ministry or agency may order public employees responding to major disasters or performing highly important or urgent work to exceed the maximum limit. Responding to the recent COVID-19 and major disasters has put a heavy physical and mental strain on public employees and led to the departure of younger employees.6� Remaining challenges In 2015, the government began promoting the “Dynamic Engagement of All Citizens (Ichioku Soukatsuyaku Shakai)” which aims to maintain the population at 100 million even in an era of declining birthrates and an aging society, and to create an all-participating society in which everyone can play an active role at home, at work, and in the community. To achieve this society, the Abe administration accelerated efforts to reform work styles, promote women, and raise the mandatory retirement age in the public service.19
元のページ ../index.html#19