Subject: [cwj 105] Deregulation hits jobs in Japan's oil industry
From: Corporate Watch in Japanese <cwj@corpwatch.org>
Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2000 13:12:30 -0700
Seq: 105

Deregulation hits jobs in Japan's oil industry

September 18, 2000
 
TOKYO, Sept 18 (Reuters) - Deregulation has taken a toll
on Japan's oil industry workforce, carving about 12,300 jobs
from the sector since 1995, an industry body said on
Monday. 

The Petroleum Association of Japan (PAJ) said that people
working for Japanese oil distributors and oil refiners
numbered about 24,000 in March 2000, down about 34
percent from 36,300 in March 1995, a year before the sector
was liberalised. 

The prospect of a new era of tougher competition following
deregulation, introduced in April 1996, forced companies to
cut staff and make other cost-cutting measures to survive. 

The industry has also been hit by the recent high crude
costs, which have triggered further job losses. Many
companies have been unable to pass on the higher crude
costs into product prices, instead relying on cost cutting to
stem the losses. 

Just in the past year alone, the industry's workforce has
shrunk by about 16 percent, and with oil prices hovering
near 10-year highs many companies are planning further
cuts. 

The country's largest oil distributor and refiner, Nippon
Mitsubishi Oil Corp , has said it planned to cut the number
of its staff in group companies to about 4,100 by March
2002 from about 4,600 last March. 

However, it said that it may achieve its target at an earlier
date if the number of its employees falls at the current pace.

Cosmo Oil Co Ltd , also a leading refiner, said in its most
recent earnings report issued in May that it planned to cut
group employees to 1,500 by March 2003 from current
levels of about 2,000.

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