Freeters : Young Atypical Workers in Japan  

Oleh:

Honda, Yuki

Jenis: Article from Journal - ilmiah internasional
Dalam koleksi: Japan Labor Review vol. 2 no. 3 (2005), page 5-25.
Topik: WORKERS; freeter; atypical workers
Fulltext: Yuki Honda.pdf (381.45KB)

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Perpustakaan Pusat (Semanggi) Nomor Panggil: JJ134.2 Non-tandon: 1 (dapat dipinjam: 0) Tandon: tidak ada

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‘Freeter’ is a label attached to young atypical workers in Japan. There has been a remarkable increase in the number of ‘freeters’ in Japan since the mid - 1990s. The estimated total number of ‘freeters’ has quadrupled over the last two decades, amounting to over two million at the turn of the century (Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare 2003). According to another estimation by the Cabinet Office, based on a broader definition of ‘freeters’ that includes those who are seeking regular jobs, the total number of ‘freeters’ numbered more than four million in 2001(Cabinet Office 2003). The word ‘freeter’ first appeared in Japanese society in the late 1980s when young people enjoyed abundant labor opportunities brought about by the ‘bubble economy’. The marked increase in the number of ‘freeters’, however, took place after the bursting of the ‘bubble’. During the prolonged recession from the early 1990s up to the mid - 2000s, many youths have been shut out of regular employment and have chosen to become ‘freeters’. But it is too simplistic just to view ‘freeters’ as the victims of the economic recession. A careful examination of the social factors - both macro and micro - behind their increase reveals that the growing discrepancies in the relationships between social systems in Japanese society are directly related to this phenomenon. Japanese post - war society has been characterized by close links between three key social systems - the family, school and company (Inui 2003). Families offered strong financial and motivational support for their children’s schooling. Schools actively sorted and distributed young people in conformity with companies’ labor demands. Companies employed young people immediately after the completion of their schooling and provided intensive in - company training. What made these relationships possible were companies’ strong demands for a young labor force based on the steady growth of the economy, even after the oil crisis of the 1970s. This inter - system scrum continued through the latent permeation of the post - industrialization of Japanese society until about 1990. Since then, however, the harmonious relationships between these three systems came to a standstill. ‘Freeters’ are the people who fell into the widening chasm between these systems, losing their former support and facing the uncertainty common to post-industrial societies. At the same time, they are latent objectors to the mainstream structure of Japanese society. A significant percentage of ‘freeters’ have refused the life of the ‘company-man,’ which has become the negative symbol of mainstream Japanese society. In this sense, ‘freeters’ can be seen as the potential pioneers of the coming society. Their present lives and future prospects, however, tend to be bleak, with little possibility of achieving economic and social independence. This article aims to describe these observations, based on empirical data and research on ‘freeters’. The next two sections examine the macro and micro factors behind the rise in the number of ‘freeters’. The last section gives an outline of present discourses and policies about ‘freeters’ and analyzes their limitations.

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