25-34 year olds who intentionally chose irregular employment, 590,000 → 710,000
“Pursuing a satisfying life outside of work… Changing work values”
Young people in Japan’s ‘2030’ are voluntarily choosing non-regular jobs.
On the 4th, the Nippon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) cited the results of a labor force survey by the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications and reported that young people in Japan choose jobs other than regular jobs because they value ‘flexibility’ that allows them to live as they want.
According to the survey results, the total number of non-regular workers aged 25 to 34 was 2.37 million last year, a decrease of 640,000 from 3.01 million in 2013, 10 years ago.
Among them, the number of people aged 25 to 34 who intentionally chose irregular employment is estimated at 730,000. There was an increase of 140,000 people compared to 2013 (590,000 people).
The number of respondents who answered ‘because I want to work when it’s convenient’ as the reason for choosing a non-regular job was 31.9%, an increase of 10.6 percentage points (P) compared to 2013. On the other hand, the number of respondents who answered ‘because there are no regular jobs’ decreased by 17%.
Professor Shintaro Yamaguchi of the University of Tokyo explained, “The number of people pursuing a satisfying life outside of work is increasing,” and “the values of work are changing.”
Meanwhile, between 2013 and 2022, more than 780,000 non-regular workers were converted to regular workers in Japan. This is because the Japanese Ministry of Labor provided subsidies and urged workers to convert to regular workers.
However, the total number of non-regular workers in Japan last year was 21.24 million, an increase of 2.18 million from 2013 (19.06 million).
Nikkei analyzed that the reason for the increase in the number of non-regular workers is “the increase in the number of older workers who have passed the traditional retirement age.”
He then explained that the existing social security system may need to be reviewed. Non-regular workers generally earn 30% less than regular workers, so their social security contributions are smaller. As a result, pension payments, etc. may become insufficient.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.