ブラック企業(きぎょう)

A widely used contemporary term composed of the English loanword ブラック (black, used here metaphorically as "shady" or "bad") + 企業(きぎょう) (company, enterprise). Coined in the 2000s, it became common in the 2010s alongside growing awareness of labor abuses, overwork, and death-by-overwork (過労死(かろうし)).

Common collocations

• ブラック企業(きぎょう)に勤(つと)める: to work at an exploitative company
• ブラック企業(きぎょう)を辞(や)める: to quit an exploitative company
• ブラック企業(きぎょう)大賞(たいしょう): "Black Company Grand Prize" (an annual naming-and-shaming award)
• ブラック企業(きぎょう)の特徴(とくちょう): characteristics of a black company

Similar words

• ホワイト企業(きぎょう): white company — the opposite; a company with good working conditions
• ブラックバイト: part-time job with exploitative conditions (especially targeting students)
• 過労死(かろうし): death from overwork — the extreme consequence associated with such companies

Typical signs

Commonly cited signs of a ブラック企業(きぎょう) include unpaid overtime (サービス残業(ざんぎょう)), very high employee turnover, power harassment, and impossible quotas. The term carries strong negative connotations and is used both in casual complaints and in serious journalism.