Labor and employment practices in East Asia are based in both de jure and de facto laws. Workers in these traditional societies face much stricter de facto laws than de jure laws (Caraway, 2010). Discipline, resilience, and respect anchor the work field. Workers are expected to put their commitments above personal health and safety (Chen, 2021). Additionally, inter-region immigration labor puts pressure on local populations to accept less than ideal working conditions. Japan, Singapore, and South Korea host the highest numbers of Chinese migrant workers (Xiang, 2008). Non-skilled labor can be done by anyone and immigrants are willing to complete these roles for lower wages and longer hours.
Because of the large economic reliance on unskilled labor Japan has struggled to foster favorable employment practices. The country is governed by common law and changes its regulations as society advances. On 24 July 2024 the Japanese Labor Ministry voted to increase minimum wage by five percent to $6.85 an hour (Sugiyama & Kajimoto, 2024). This new legislation still keeps Japan’s wage laws far below international standards (Kanaoka, 2024). Surprisingly, the country observes a common lunch break between twelve and one in the afternoon (Pringle, 2020). This juxtaposition of insufficient wages versus reliable breaks is due to the region’s perspective on respect.
