子供の未来に影を落とす格差を狭めるために　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　気ままなリライト１０４

中小企業対象育休中業務代替支援策

政府は、育児休業取得者や時短勤務者の業務を代替する従業員らに手当を支給する中小企業対象の補助金を拡充する方針を固めた。育休取得者1人あたり最大125万円を補助する方向で、経済対策に盛り込む予定だ。今年度中にも開始する予定で、育休を取得しやすい職場作りにつなげる狙いがある。

現在も働きながら子育てや介護ができる職場環境を整える事業主を支援する「両立支援等助成金」があり、新たに「育休中等業務代替支援コース(仮称)」を設ける方向で調整している。

育休期間中の場合、体制の整備費用として2万～ 5万円を補助するほか、企業が代替要員に支払う手当額の4分の3を、月10万円を上限に12か月まで補助する仕組みを想定している。厚生労働省が両立支援に力を入れていると認定している事業所には、補助額を割り増すことも検討する。

従来は育休取得者が3か月以上休んだ場合に限って、最大で20万円を補助していた。新たなコースでは、育休期間が1か月未満でも補助が可能になる。育児中の時短勤務者の業務を代替する社員らへの手当も設け、時短勤務者の子どもが3歳になるまで、最大110万円を補助する方針だ

大企業と比べて、従業員数が少ない中小企業では、育休を取得すると人手不足になり、他の社員の負担が重くなるという指摘が出ていた。

The government is gearing up to enhance its subsidy program to bridge the work-life balance gap between large companies and middle to small-sized businesses, especially when working parents take extended paternity or maternity leave. The revamped financial aid is focusing on smaller companies, with the goal of supporting working parents in their efforts to harmonize work and family commitments.

The government’s updated subsidy program aims to provide greater financial support to the employers hiring working parents, compared with the existing subsidy. Under the current framework, individuals taking more than three months of child-rearing leave are granted up to 200,000 yen. The revised program will cover 75% of the salary given to a replacement for any employee on child-rearing leave, capping at 100,000 yen per month for a year. An additional 20,000 to 50,000 yen will be allocated for management expenses related to endorsing such leave. Notably, this support is available for employees with children up until the age of three, even if the leave is less than a month. Furthermore, the Health and Welfare Ministry will reward companies that emphasize a healthy work-life balance.

The government is anticipating its revamped financial program to address two critical barriers that often prevent small and mid-sized businesses from mirroring larger corporations' approach to child-rearing leave. First, employees often wrestle with an emotional weight when contemplating such leave, feeling guilty about adding to their colleagues' workload, especially in environments where staff shortages are typical. By reframing the added responsibility as a brief yet rewarding opportunity for substitutes, those taking leave are more likely to find relief from this guilt. Second, unlike sizable corporations with substantial reserves, those smaller businesses are confronting both the challenge of identifying and funding replacement staff members to ensure smooth operations. Through the financial aid to cover the cost
of those substitutes, the government intends to reduce employers' reluctance in granting extended leave, prioritizing employee well-being.

待機未就園児支援対策

こども家庭庁は、親の就労の有無に関係なく保育施設を利用できる「こども誰でも通園制度(仮称)」の試行的事業を、当初予定していた来年度から今年度に前倒しする方針を固めた。11月2 日にも決定する経済対策に自治体への財政支援を盛り込む方向だ。

同制度は、6月に閣議決定した「こども未来戦略方針」の目玉政策の一つだ。子どもを預けられない専業主婦らの負担を軽減する狙いがある。岸田首相は23日の所信表明演説で、同方針に基づく取り組みに関して、「前倒しによる各種施策の実施を検討する」と述べていた。

生後6か月～2歳の未就園児が対象となる。月10時間までの利用枠の中で、時間単位で利用できる仕組みを想定している。市町村が指定した保育所や認定こども園、幼稚園などが導入することを見込んでいる。

政府は、今年度中に試行的事業の開始を希望する市区町村を募り、新たに配置する保育士らの人件費などを支援する方向だ。

同庁の推計では、O ～2歳児の約6割にあたる約146万人が未就園児だという。政府は、同制度を創設するための法案を来年の通常国会に提出し、早期の本格実施を目指す。

To address the rising demand for infant daycare services, driven by dual-income families, single-parent families, and those without extended family support for childcare needs of children aged zero to two, the government is fast-tracking its program to expand infant care services across municipalities nationwide. In a move to prioritize this pressing concern, through the program, the Children and Families Agency, an external bureau of the Cabinet Office, is advancing its financial backing for those services, integrating them into the economic measures set for discussion on November 2, ahead of its original plan for next year's agenda.

With a staggering 1.46 million children, accounting for nearly 60% of those aged zero to two, lacking access to infant daycare services, the deficit in infant daycare services has posed an impending challenge to the Children and Families Agency. Against the backdrop of Japan's economic stagnation, an increasing number of dual-income families and single-parent families have been finding themselves compelled to work outside the home to maintain financial stability. This dearth of infant care services has been heightening challenges for these families in their quest to lead quality lives while shouldering the responsibility of raising their young ones. For career-committed parents desiring to reenter the workforce soon after childbirth, reliable infant daycare has become indispensable in achieving a harmonious balance between their professional pursuits and family roles. For those valuing early peer interaction in a structured environment, the limited availability of infant daycare services is stymieing their infants’ opportunities for social engagement.

Under the program, approved by the Cabinet in June as a key strategy for future well-being of children, an initiative is set for trial within the current fiscal year to expand the caregiver workforce in infant daycare services and cover the labor cost of caregivers newly positioned in municipality-designated facilities, such as child daycare centers and kindergartens. Among the municipalities keen on pioneering the initiative, exemplary models are selected by the Children and Families Agency. Within the chosen model municipalities, daycare services are extended to parents raising children aged six months to two years independently, regardless of whether they are employed. Eligible parents have the opportunity to access up to ten hours a month of those enhanced infant daycare services, available on an hourly basis.