White paper says `freeters' a drag on productivity

The Asahi Shimbun ^ | May 31,2003

[Lessismore]

Millions of underemployed young also portends a lower birthrate, paper warns.

Painting a bleak picture of lower productivity and birthrates in the nation's future, the annual white paper on the national lifestyle was submitted to the Cabinet by Financial Services Minister Heizo Takenaka on Friday.

The paper, which focuses on life under a deflationary economy, singled out the growing number of ``freeters''-young, unskilled part-time workers, such as convenience store clerks-as a particular source of concern.

According to the report, the number of these underemployed workers soared from 1.83 million in 1990, to 4.17 million in 2001. Consequently, one in five people in the 15 to 34 age group-excluding homemakers and students with part-time jobs-is a freeter.

In addition to decreasing overall productivity, more young people adopting a freeter lifestyle means fewer marriages and thus fewer offspring, according to the paper.

Even though they are grown up, freeters often rely on the goodwill of their parents for food and lodging. By way of remedy, the report stresses that society must aim to provide young people with more opportunities to land stable jobs and thus achieve independence.

Although over 70 percent of freeters want full-time positions, chances are high that if the first job they land upon graduating from school is a part-time job, they will stay stuck in the freeter situation. More than half will continue working as cheap, casual labor.

Another hard reality is the fact that corporations usually do not hire full-time staff who are past their 20s, making it more difficult for longtime freeters to find stable jobs. The longer one stays a freeter, the greater the likelihood the situation will not change.

The report's conclusion is that the increase in the number of rootless, unskilled laborers hurts the nation's productivity, possibly affecting society as a whole.

To counter the ``freeter trend,'' the report suggests strengthening ties between schools and corporations and offering job training and job opportunities earlier.

[EBITDA]

Can someone enlighten me as to which country this is. Looks like Japan, but to be candid I am not familiar with the names of Japanese cabinet members.

[Larry Lucido]

I thought it was a misspelled attack on Freepers at first.

[Imal]

Another shocking offense against the intrinsic Japanese need for a tight, orderly society.

[Lessismore]

It is Japan.

[struggle]

This is a joke. In a country in which more than 50% of kids go to university, and another 20% go to junior college or tech school, freeters are the normal high school graduate workers. Japanese just want everyone in their business force and that's impossible. There will always be those who slide from parttime to parttime job. Its silly to think that is is a series problem.

[Jeff Chandler]

It thought it was an article about some new snack food.

[Jeff Chandler]

It = I

[Batrachian]

America is full of freeters too, but ours breed prodigiously.

[Last Dakotan]

Oh boo hoo! The world's greatest creator economy might have a few unproductive souls. This is all to keep the myths of Japan's economic hardship going. For more reality
see; http://www.unsustainable.org/

[Ronin]

Yes, this is Japan. Asahi Shimbun is a leftist newspaper. One of the biggest national papers in the country.

[Lessismore]

A good web site. Thanks.