According to a 2015 Japanese Government survey of businesses, “23 percent of 1,743 companies surveyed said they have employees who have worked more than 80 hours of overtime a month”, with “ 12 percent that replied that some of their employees clocked more than 100 hours of overtime in a single month” (Japan Times, 2016, #1). Japanese companies are notorious for overworking their employees to dangerous levels of exhaustion, so much so that karoshi (death by overwork) has entered the public lexicon. To understand Freeters and their hesitance to pursue full-time employment, we must first understand the system they are running away from. In this essay I will argue that what was once an intentional choice for a small group of young people has quickly become the only option for many, leaving them unfulfilled in work and systematically trapped in poverty. Originally they represented a small group of young working age Japanese citizens that intentionally did not pursue full-time employment (FTE) in order to obtain the personal freedom that came with part-time employment. in Informatics while abroad, and completed an anthropological analysis of this subculture as a final project.įreeters (フリーター) define a unique work subculture in Japan. Unless those companies change their system, it’s extremely difficult for Freeters to get a full-time job.Ethnographic Analysis - Japanese Freeter Cultureįreeter (フリーター furītā) is a Japanese term for young individuals (18-35) who pursue only temp jobs, part-time jobs, or are jobless, and describes a unique subculture that exists in Japan of people who intentionally stray away from the traditional career paths of ‘salary men’. I think one of the biggest problems is that countless companies hire part-time employees to pay less salaries and benefits. Some people argue the number of Freeters is increasing every year. They usually have no insurance so if something happens, they need to pay from their pocket. Companies usually don’t pay any benefits for Freeters because they are part-time employees.įreeters cannot afford to pay retirement pension so there is no pension guaranteed when they retire. ![]() Yet as mentioned above, some have a really difficult time getting a full-time job due to stereotype and negative image on Freeters.įreeters also experience lack of insurance and benefits. How can one support family with 2 million yen? It’s impossible.Ĭonsequently, Freeters need to get a full-time job. After 1992, however, the wage decreased and it became difficult to pay everything by themselves.įor instance, the average annual salary for 20s is above 4 million yen and if they have a full-time job.įreeters, however, earn less than 2 million yen annually. I bet he will quit within a couple of years… I’m not going to hire him thenĪs mentioned above, the salary of Freeters was adequate to support themselves before 1992. This guy didn’t have any full-time job for 3 years… I guess he was lazy and didn’t want to work. Others would wonder why you have worked as a Freeter for a while. Some big companies prefer to hire new graduates from university. It’s not a problem to work as a Freeter for a short period of time, but the longer you work as a Freeter, the harder to find a full-time job. The wage became less and many Freeters had to change their lifestyles. In 1992, however, Price Bubble collapsed and salary for part-time employees changed. Due to Price Bubble (rapid acceleration on economic activity including stock and real estate), part-time employees received sufficient amount of money to live on their own.ĭuring this period of time, the number of Freeters increased dramatically. In late 1980s, great number of employees were in demand by a lot of convenience stores and construction sites. ![]() ・are looking for part-time jobs rather than full-time. ![]() ・works part-time and doesn’t have a full-time jobs. In addition, Freeters exclude students and housewives.Īccording to Japanese government, a Freeter: It is different from Neets because Freeter have jobs. A Japanese term “Freeter” is used to describe individuals age 15-34 who work part-time. Some young Japanese are Neets, while others are Freeter.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |