Japan's Toyota Motor will overhaul the "Toyota Calendar," its own work system maintained for more than 50 years. The move aims to reduce work on public holidays and expand consecutive days off, improving the working environment while strengthening competitiveness in securing talent.
According to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) on the 10th, Toyota's labor union is considering a plan to operate weekdays during the Golden Week period (the extended holiday from late April to early May) as normal working days, while converting some public holidays into days off to expand three-day holidays.
This is a measure aligned with the revision of the standard work calendar by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA). Toyota is also pursuing a plan to increase annual holidays on the premise of improved productivity, with the final proposal to be confirmed at the end of this year.
The "Toyota Calendar" is Toyota Motor's own work system, operated since the 1970s. Instead of applying long breaks during Golden Week and the year-end and New Year period, it has operated production lines on public holidays to enhance equipment maintenance and production efficiency.
However, as dual-income and child-rearing households have increased, dissatisfaction has grown with the auto industry's distinctive work style of working even on public holidays. In particular, factory workers found it virtually difficult to take leave on public holidays when production lines were running, making it hard to spend time with their families.
Toyota's union is pushing a plan to convert weekdays during Golden Week into working days while expanding three-day holidays by linking them with Monday public holidays in other months. Labor and management will begin negotiations this summer and aim to reach an agreement within the year after going through a union member approval process.
Changes to Toyota employees' work schedules are expected to affect local communities as well. Restaurants and childcare facilities near factories, such as in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, have operated in line with the Toyota Calendar.
Nikkei reported that "Toyota expects this overhaul to help in securing talent," adding that "while Aichi Prefecture maintains high recruitment competitiveness, nationwide the perception of being 'a company that does not rest even on public holidays' has weighed on young job seekers."
In Japan, the auto industry is a core sector employing about 5.5 million people. As Toyota pursues a transition from a manufacturing company to a mobility company, it expects to align its work system with other industries and improve collaboration efficiency.
Meanwhile, the annual holidays in Japan's auto industry currently stand at about 121 days, fewer than the 126 days in the electrical and electronics industry. Toyota plans to pursue expanding holidays in parallel with productivity improvements, but Nikkei noted that coordination between labor and management is the key task, given concerns over reduced production volume and delivery delays.
