In Japan, long working hours and overtime are the norm for employees, which, combined with the unique work culture, has led to a very high level of physical and mental stress for the people of the country. Against such a background,More and more young Japanese employees are choosing part-time jobs. As this trend develops, it is likely that Japan** will need to reformulate its social security program that is premised on full-time employment.
The data shows thatIn 2023, 730,000 people aged 25-34 "willfully" engage in informal work, 140,000 more than 10 years ago. At the same time, the number of people working in informal jobs because they could not find a full-time position has been halved.
In fact, the number of people working in informal jobs because they can't find full-time work has been declining, reaching 1.96 million in 2023, 1.45 million fewer than 10 years ago.
This trend reflects a change in the values of work in Japan. Many respondents saidEven if the salary and stability will be reduced, they will still prefer to do what they want to do.
In fact, the situation in Japan is completely different from that of China and South Korea when it comes to public examinations. In 2012, the number of applicants for the civil service examination in Japan was 230,000 people, and in 2023, the number of applicants for the civil service examination in Japan will only be 140,000, the second-lowest number on record. Even though Japan** wants to continuously improve the remuneration of civil servants, young Japanese people are still indifferent.
The Japan Personnel Institute conducted a survey on employment intentions, and most of the students said thatOvertime and heavy workload are the main reasons why they are reluctant to become civil servants. At the same time, more and more Japanese civil servants are resigning. It can be seen that "too much work" is the main reason why Japanese people avoid this type of "full-time work".
In addition, Japan's deepening aging population is accelerating this transformation. Some respondents said that young children or elderly parents could only be cared for if they chose informal positions.
In order to promote the shift from "non-formal" workers to full-time jobs, the Ministry of Labor has introduced a subsidy system. However, from fiscal 2013 to fiscal 2022, the program only enabled just over 780,000 people to move to full-time employment.
Japan** now has to face this problem. The irregular income of informal workers and the fact that most of them do not fully contribute to social security may lead to underpayment of pensions and more retirement-age people being forced to continue working, increasing the pressure on the job market.