On September 11, 2015, amendments to the Act for Securing the Proper Operation of Worker Dispatching Undertakings and Improved Working Conditions for Dispatched Workers ("2015 Amendment") were enacted. The 2015 Amendment abolished the "26 special job categories" for which there had previously been no restrictions on the period for which a worker could be dispatched and introduced new common rules governing this dispatch period that apply regardless of job category. Specifically:

  • The maximum dispatch period in which a single business place of an employer may continuously accept a dispatched worker(s) will be three years. However, a dispatch period of longer than three years is permitted after consulting with a labor union that represents the majority of the employees or a person representing the majority of the employees if there is no such labor union.
  • The maximum dispatch period in which a specific dispatched worker may work in the same department is three years.

The 2015 Amendment came into force on September 30, 2015.

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