Overview

Employment Types

Employment types refer to the forms of labor contracts established between workers and employers (companies). In Japan, various forms exist including full-time employees (indefinite-term employment), contract employees (fixed-term employment), temporary agency workers (indirect employment), part-time workers, and freelancers/independent contractors. Each type differs in the scope of application of labor laws such as the Labor Standards Act, Worker Dispatching Act, and Part-Time and Fixed-Term Employment Act, as well as social insurance eligibility and employee benefits, making it an important concept for worker rights protection and corporate human resource management.

employment types full-time employee contract employee temporary worker part-time freelance labor law labor standards act

code	slug	name	description	applicableLaws	contractType	employmentType
01	full-time-employee	Full-time Employee (Indefinite-term Employment)	Workers employed under indefinite-term employment contracts without fixed employment periods.	["労働基準法","労働契約法"]	Direct Employment - Indefinite-term	Regular Employment
02	contract-employee	Contract Employee (Fixed-term Employment)	Workers employed under fixed-term employment contracts with set employment periods.	["労働基準法","労働契約法","パートタイム・有期雇用労働法"]	Direct Employment - Fixed-term	Non-regular Employment
03	temporary-agency-worker	Temporary Agency Worker (Worker Dispatching)	Workers under indirect employment who have employment contracts with dispatching companies and work at client companies.	["労働基準法","労働者派遣法","パートタイム・有期雇用労働法"]	Indirect Employment - Fixed-term	Non-regular Employment
04	part-time-worker	Part-time Worker	Workers employed under fixed-term contracts working shorter hours than full-time employees.	["労働基準法","パートタイム・有期雇用労働法"]	Direct Employment - Fixed-term	Non-regular Employment
05	short-time-full-time	Short-time Full-time Employee	Workers under indefinite-term employment with shorter working hours than regular full-time employees.	["労働基準法","労働契約法"]	Direct Employment - Indefinite-term	Regular Employment
06	freelance-contractor	Freelance / Independent Contractor	Self-employed workers working under business outsourcing contracts rather than employment contracts.	["民法（請負）","フリーランス事業者の保護に関するガイドライン"]	Business Outsourcing / Contract for Work	Self-employment
07	home-worker	Home Worker	Workers who receive commissions to manufacture or process goods at home.	["家内労働法"]	Commission	Non-regular Employment
08	teleworker	Teleworker	Workers who work from home or other locations using information and communication technology.	["労働基準法","テレワーク法"]	Direct Employment or Business Outsourcing	Variable

Classification of major employment types in Japan.