business

Japan's disadvantaged generation seek changes in hiring practices

13 Comments
By Satoshi Iizuka

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Learning bookkeeping skills while searching for a new job, he found a post at a golf driving range operator in 2010. But he was discharged after a few months as he did not have the practical experience of bookkeeping the firm was seeking.

I’m pretty sure he didn’t have the experience when they hired him. They simply found someone they liked better and got rid of him.

I did bookkeeping part time in high school. Not difficult. This was late 2000’s. I also worked night audit for Hilton in college. With technology, you don’t actually have to sit there crunching all the numbers.

The western Japan city of Takarazuka has decided to provide regular administrative staff posts open only to candidates from the generation, with three people expected to be hired in January.

This move may open them up to discrimination lawsuits based on Japan’s own employment laws.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Japanese people have a strange thinking. They have prejudices to people who joined the companies later halfway. Many are proud that they joined the companies upon graduations. The trend has changed I feel recently but when I see ceremonies of of new employees in mass in April, I feel the situation remains the same. Lifetime employment has a good thing and a bad thing. I saw many people who cannot not leave the companies though they do not like the jobs. They live an unhappy life to support their families. Also, I had a trouble many times as a middle manager. I could not transfer or fire bad employees. It is far more reasonable that companies hire people when they have vacancies through a year.

13 ( +13 / -0 )

Recently 25% of male don't get married in their whole lives. Changing the obsolete customs of employment may be a chance to change such a sad situation.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

It's interesting they note job skills as the main hurdle, but these companies are hiring young 'empty shells' straight out college and university to fill these 'skilled' positions. Therefore, it's easy to conclude that, it's only about money. Companies won't hire mature workers they have to pay a decent salary when they can hire kids for half the price.

13 ( +13 / -0 )

So it's an obvious problem that can not be rectified as the problem is it's the custom and changing anything is a tooth sucking conundrum that flys in the face of cultural norms. Face palm again.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

If they can’t find a job in Japan then all they need to do is get on a plane or boat to a land which will give them o e-it works well for the immigrants in Europe.

-6 ( +0 / -6 )

Introducing some laws to counter the rampant age-discrimination here would help.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

Age limits on job vacancy ads should be banned. I'm pretty sure they are in other advanced countries.

Whatever government rules encourage the use of seishain should also be phased out. If companies want to make people seishain, they should be free to do so, but it should not be encouraged. Flexibility in the job market should be encouraged instead.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

@yoshi

Recently 25% of male don't get married in their whole lives. Changing the obsolete customs of employment may be a chance to change such a sad situation.

Not sure if the hire or fire at will US-China style employment system suits Japan that values harmony.

This puts a huge strain on workers to keep their competitiveness or risk getting fired.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

The problem is not like this, small, medium & big companies have different problems. I can only speak from the point of a small company. in small companies ,the problem is good workers never meet good bosses. Bad workers are those that usually stay on a regular job just because they can talk, force serious honest workers to quit. Maybe, it is time to pay workers on their performance merits with good guide lines. as yr story proof , there are many people who need a good job. Japan is not short of workers. It is short of good rules. one of the rules must be working with intergrity.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Well, that is what I did....

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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