Freeter

In Japan, a freeter (フリーター, furītā) is a person aged 18 to 34 who is unemployed, underemployed, or otherwise lacks full-time paid employment.

[2] The meaning of the term switched connotations from positive to negative after the Japanese asset price bubble broke resulting in a recession in the 1990s.

In the 1980s, the term was seen in a positive light signifying the freedom to explore other alternative options for employment for fun when the economy of Japan was prosperous with many different job opportunities.

[3] The relaxation of protective labor laws and the deregulation of recruitment practices in 1998 allowed companies to employ larger numbers of flexible workers for longer periods of time.

According to a survey by the Japan Institute of Labor in 2000, the average freeter works 4.9 days per week and earns ¥139,000 per month (ca.

Some experts predict that Japan's aging population will create a labor shortage that will increase career options for freeters.

Starting a career becomes more difficult the longer somebody is a freeter, as Japanese companies prefer to hire new workers fresh out of high school or university.

[citation needed] They much prefer to hire a young person who offers a longer period of service, and who will be easier to mold.

[citation needed] Often the only option left for freeters is to continue working at low income part-time jobs, making it difficult to establish their own household.

Large numbers of workers trying to start careers in their thirties may have a significant impact on the current corporate culture of Japan.

It may change hiring and employment practices, particularly since demographers predict a future labor shortage due to the Japan's aging population.

This will further aggravate the low birth rate in Japan and compound social and economic problems related to the aging population, such as underfunding of the Japanese pension system.

These offices offer basic training for job hunting: teaching young people how to write a résumé, and how to conduct themselves during interviews.

[2] Mass media either portrays Freeters as lazy and irresponsible youth or casualties of the economic problems of corporate restructuring and recession.