Employment insurance coverage expands to 10 or more weekly hours from October 2028. Who is covered and how to prepare

In short: The "prescribed weekly working hours" requirement to become an employment insurance insured person will be lowered from the current 20 or more to 10 or more. It takes effect on October 1, 2028 (Reiwa 10). The basis is the Act Partially Amending the Employment Insurance Act and Other Acts (Act No. 26 of 2024, promulgated May 17, 2024), which amends the exclusion under Article 6 of the Employment Insurance Act to "less than 10 hours a week."

This is a different system from the October 2027 expansion of social insurance (employees' pension insurance and health insurance). They are often confused, but employment insurance has no "company-size requirement (a certain number of employees or more)" like the social insurance expansion. Employment insurance applies to almost every business that hires workers, and whether someone becomes an insured person is decided mainly by "prescribed weekly working hours" and "expected employment of 31 days or more." Therefore, a company that hires part-time/casual workers currently working 10 to 20 hours a week will have new procedures from October 2028 regardless of its size. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare estimates that up to about 5 million people will newly become insured persons through this amendment.

For small and medium-sized business owners and HR staff who employ many short-hour part-time/casual workers, this article organizes who is covered by the expansion of employment insurance coverage and when, the difference from the October 2027 social insurance expansion, how to count 10 weekly hours, how premiums change, and what to prepare now.

When and for whom does the employment insurance expansion take effect?

Currently, the requirement to become an employment insurance insured person is "prescribed weekly working hours of 20 or more" and "expected to be continuously employed for 31 days or more." After the amendment, this prescribed working hours requirement is lowered to 10 or more.

Item	Currently	From October 1, 2028
Prescribed weekly working hours requirement	20 or more	10 or more
Expected employment	31 days or more	31 days or more (unchanged)
Daytime students	Excluded in principle	Excluded in principle (unchanged)
Basis	Article 6, item 1 of the Employment Insurance Act (excluded = less than 20 hours a week)	The same item amended to "less than 10 hours a week"

In other words, even a company that treated part-timers as "no employment insurance because they work under 20 hours a week" will, from October 2028, have those part-time/casual workers who work 10 or more hours a week and are expected to be employed for 31 days or more newly become insured persons. Daytime students remain excluded in principle.

For workers, the expansion means they may become eligible for childcare leave benefits, family care leave benefits, education and training benefits, and the basic allowance (unemployment benefit). More people who were previously excluded because they worked under 20 hours a week will be able to receive benefits while balancing childcare or family care with work.

What is different from the October 2027 social insurance expansion?

The word "expansion of coverage" is used for both social insurance (employees' pension and health insurance) and employment insurance, so they tend to be confused, but they are different systems with different governing laws, effective dates, and requirements.

	Employment insurance expansion	Social insurance expansion
Insurance covered	Employment insurance	Employees' pension and health insurance
Effective date	October 1, 2028	October 2027 (then reduced/abolished in stages)
Prescribed weekly working hours	20 or more → 10 or more	20 or more (short-time workers below three-quarters)
Company-size requirement	None	Yes (36 or more insured persons → reduced in stages)
Main basis	Act No. 26 of 2024 / Article 6 of the Employment Insurance Act	Expansion of health/pension coverage to short-time workers

The biggest difference is whether there is a company-size requirement. The social insurance expansion targets short-time workers only at "companies with a certain number or more of employees' pension insured persons," but employment insurance has no such size requirement. Because a business that hires workers is in principle an employment-insurance-covered business, even a small company will need procedures from October 2028 if it has someone working 10 or more hours a week and expected to be employed for 31 days or more.

For details of the October 2027 social insurance expansion, see social insurance coverage expands from October 2027 to companies with 36 or more employees. For the basics of enrollment decisions for short-time workers in social insurance, see what happens to social insurance when you hire someone for short hours.

How are "10 weekly hours" of prescribed working time counted?

Whether someone becomes an insured person is decided, in principle, not by the hours actually worked (actual working hours) but by the prescribed working hours set in the employment contract, work rules, and so on. This is the same approach as the current "20 weekly hours" judgment.

• When prescribed working hours are fixed: judge by the weekly prescribed working hours written in the employment contract or written statement of working conditions.
• When prescribed hours are set on a monthly or yearly basis: convert to a weekly figure to judge (for a monthly basis, divide back using 52/12, following the current treatment).
• When prescribed working hours are unclear or variable: the judgment may be based on the record of hours actually worked. The detailed treatment is expected to be shown by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare toward the effective date.

Therefore, even for a person whose hours vary by week under a shift system, you need to check how the "prescribed" hours are set against the employment contract, work rules, and shift schedule. Because the way prescribed working hours are set directly affects the judgment, disclosure of working conditions and maintenance of contracts become important. For rules on disclosing working conditions, see disclosure of working conditions is also required for foreign workers. What changed from 2024 and job advertisement conditions must not diverge from actual working conditions.

How do premiums change when someone newly becomes an insured person?

Unlike social insurance premiums, employment insurance premiums are not split equally between employer and employee; the employer bears a larger share. The rate is set each fiscal year. For reference, the employment insurance rate for general businesses in fiscal 2025 (April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026) is as follows.

Category (general business, FY2025)	Employee share	Employer share	Total
Employment insurance rate	5.5/1000 (0.55%)	9/1000 (0.9%)	14.5/1000 (1.45%)

• The rate differs for agriculture, forestry and fisheries, sake brewing, and construction. Because the rate is reviewed each fiscal year, always check the latest rate for the relevant year in actual calculations.

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If the number of newly insured persons increases, premiums arise for both the worker and the employer, equal to the wage multiplied by the rate. In payroll, you need to submit the employment insurance qualification acquisition notification, deduct premiums from wages, and reflect this in the annual update (declaration of estimated and finalized labor insurance premiums). For the practice of the labor insurance annual update, see the labor insurance annual update: estimated and finalized premiums.

Note that this amendment also sets an adjustment making the lower limit of the daily wage used to calculate the basic allowance (unemployment benefit) 1,230 yen. This measure corresponds to the wage level of people working short hours of around 10 hours a week (the amount may change with future revisions).

What should a business prepare now?

Although it takes effect in October 2028, identifying the affected workers and building the system takes time. It is practical to proceed in the following flow.

1. Identify those who may become subject: check, from employment contracts, work rules, shift schedules, and attendance records, how many part-time/casual workers currently work 10 or more but under 20 hours a week.
2. Review how prescribed working hours are set: organize whether prescribed working hours are clearly set in contracts and work rules, and how "prescribed" hours are treated under a shift system.
3. Confirm the response of payroll and attendance systems: check before the effective date whether the system can handle qualification acquisition and premium deduction for new insured persons.
4. Prepare an explanation for workers: be able to explain that while enrollment causes premium deductions, it may also make workers eligible for childcare, family care, and education/training benefits.

For putting work rules and working conditions in order, see from how many employees are work rules mandatory. For the decision whether to outsource or handle payroll in-house, see how much does it cost to entrust payroll to a Shakai Hoken Roumushi and what to ask a Shakai Hoken Roumushi when you want to handle payroll in-house with freee.

四葉社会保険労務士事務所 can advise on sorting out enrollment requirements for employment and labor insurance, notifications such as qualification acquisition, the annual update, maintaining work rules and working conditions, and the payroll and attendance management system. The preparation of labor insurance application documents, submission agency, and administrative agency are organized as the business of a Shakai Hoken Roumushi under Article 2 of the Certified Social Insurance and Labor Consultant Act. Consultation is free. For fees, see the fee schedule. Tax matters are the domain of a tax accountant.

Frequently asked questions

Q. When does the employment insurance expansion start?
A. From October 1, 2028 (Reiwa 10). The basis is the Act Partially Amending the Employment Insurance Act and Other Acts (Act No. 26 of 2024, promulgated May 17, 2024), which lowers the prescribed weekly working hours requirement to become an insured person from 20 or more to 10 or more.

Q. Is it the same as the 2027 social insurance expansion?
A. No, it is a different system. The October 2027 expansion is for employees' pension and health insurance and has a company-size requirement. The employment insurance expansion is in October 2028, has no company-size requirement, and covers almost every business that hires workers. To avoid confusion, check the insurance covered, the effective date, and the requirements separately.

Q. We are a small company; will we be covered?
A. Employment insurance has no company-size requirement. Because a business that hires workers is in principle an employment-insurance-covered business, regardless of size, if you have part-time/casual workers who work 10 or more hours a week and are expected to be employed for 31 days or more, they will newly become insured persons from October 2028.

Q. Are the 10 weekly hours counted by the hours actually worked?
A. In principle, the judgment is by the prescribed working hours set in the employment contract or work rules, not by actual working hours. The treatment when the "prescribed" hours are unclear, such as under a shift system, is expected to be shown by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare toward the effective date. It is important to review how prescribed working hours are set in contracts and work rules.

Sources

• Expansion of employment insurance coverage: the Act Partially Amending the Employment Insurance Act and Other Acts (Act No. 26 of 2024, promulgated May 17, 2024). An amendment excluding persons whose prescribed weekly working hours are less than 10 hours from the Employment Insurance Act, lowering the prescribed weekly working hours requirement to become an insured person from 20 or more to 10 or more. Effective October 1, 2028 (Reiwa 10).
• Article 6 (exclusions) of the Employment Insurance Act: the current provision excluding persons whose prescribed weekly working hours are less than 20 hours is amended to "less than 10 hours" (e-Gov Law Search; please check the effective date and latest amendment each time).
• Lower limit of the daily wage: the amending act sets an adjustment making the lower limit of the daily wage used to calculate the basic allowance 1,230 yen (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare / content of the amending act; the amount may change with future revisions).
• Estimated number of newly insured persons: up to about 5 million (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare guidance on the amendment, referenced 2026-09).
• Exclusion of daytime students / expected employment of 31 days or more: employment insurance insured-person requirements (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare / Hello Work guidance).
• Employment insurance rate (FY2025, general business): employee share 5.5/1000, employer share 9/1000, total 14.5/1000. Agriculture/forestry/fisheries, sake brewing, and construction have different rates. The rate is reviewed each fiscal year (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, "FY2025 Employment Insurance Rate," referenced 2026-09).
• Difference from the social insurance (employees' pension and health insurance) expansion: the social insurance expansion has a company-size requirement and is a different system implemented in stages from October 2027 (Japan Pension Service / Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare materials).
• Business of a Shakai Hoken Roumushi: Article 2 of the Certified Social Insurance and Labor Consultant Act.

This article does not decide whom to consult. 四葉社会保険労務士事務所 can advise on sorting out enrollment requirements for employment and labor insurance, notifications such as qualification acquisition, the annual update, maintaining work rules and working conditions, and the payroll and attendance management system. Tax matters are the domain of a tax accountant. For fees when consulting 四葉社会保険労務士事務所, see the fee schedule; for frequently asked questions, see the FAQ.

This article is general information. Whether the system applies and individual enrollment decisions are made by a qualified professional after a consultation, in light of the latest primary sources (the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Hello Work, etc.) and individual circumstances. Written by Joji Uramatsu (Shakai Hoken Roumushi, Gyoseishoshi, Registered Real Estate Transaction Specialist).