Japanese Company Introduces In-House Side Jobs, Paying Up to 870,000 Won a Month for Work in Other Departments

[Financial News, Tokyo = Correspondent Seo Hye-jin] Konica Minolta, a Japanese office equipment and precision instruments maker, has introduced an "in-house side-job" system that allows employees to earn extra pay by working in other departments. The move is an effort to tap hidden expertise within the company instead of hiring from outside, as competition for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital transformation (DX) talent intensifies.
According to Nihon Keizai Shimbun on the 24th, Konica Minolta introduced a "skill-sharing program" last month. Departments that need specialized staff post job listings on the company’s internal system, including job details, required skills and the working period. Employees apply, and after approval from their department head, they are selected through document screening and interviews.
The in-house side jobs are limited to work that requires expertise, such as Information Technology (IT) and business planning. The maximum duration is three months, and employees must work outside regular hours so their main jobs are not affected. The monthly limit is 20 hours, and extra pay can reach up to 100,000 yen, or about 870,000 won, per month. Participation in the side-job program is not reflected in personnel evaluations.
The program targets about 3,000 employees, including non-managerial staff and senior employees rehired after retirement. In two pilot runs, 33 job postings were made, and 24 were filled. Demand was especially strong for DX and software development talent. The company plans to fill 70 to 80 in-house side-job positions a year going forward.
Through the program, Konica Minolta plans to give younger employees opportunities to gain experience in a range of jobs beyond their own departments and build expertise. It also aims to increase cross-departmental interaction and encourage employees to view their work from the perspective of the entire company.
The company also expects to cut hiring costs. Until now, when it faced temporary labor shortages, it relied on dispatched workers or outsourced tasks to outside firms. Using internal staff can reduce not only recruitment costs but also the procedures required to work with outside personnel, such as confidentiality agreements.
Japanese companies are turning to internal talent because the shortage of specialized workers is worsening. A survey by Persol Career in January of 500 senior managers at major companies found that more than 60% said they had abandoned or delayed business projects over the past year because of a lack of specialized staff.
Competition for DX and AI talent is intensifying across industries. Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) projects that the country will face a shortage of about 3.4 million workers capable of operating AI, robots and other technologies by 2040.
[email protected] Seo Hye-jin Reporter