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No. of welfare recipients reaches record high

13 Comments

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry said Monday that the number of welfare recipients in Japan reached a record high of 2.60 million as of Aug 31. The ministry said it will step up efforts to help unemployed people find jobs and also crack down on those fraudulently receiving welfare benefits.

The jobless rate for men stood at 4.8%, while that for women was at 4.0%, the ministry said, attributing the high numbers of jobless to the strong yen and the March 11 disaster.

Health Minister Yoko Koriyama said her ministry will work with local governments to revise the welfare benefits system to help get welfare recipients back to work, NHK said. She said officials from Hello Work job agencies will visit local welfare offices and establish vocational training programs with non-profit organizations.

Koriyama also said that benefits may be discontinued to those not making an effort to find jobs, especially those who do not attend vocational training programs. Penalties will also be toughened against those people fraudulently claiming welfare benefits, NHK reported.

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13 Comments
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What about unemployed gaijin?

4 ( +4 / -0 )

benefits may be discontinued to those not making an effort to find jobs, especially those who do not attend vocational training programs. Penalties will also be toughened against those people fraudulently claiming welfare benefits

Hurry up about it too. Damn bludgers cost taxpayers more per month than the total of some other insignificant yet highly emotional items.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The jobless rate for men stood at 4.8%, while that for women was at 4.0%

Laughable. 4% of women eh? Japan needs to get serious about this problem as it is only going to get worse.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

These numbers are skewed. They only show people who are "officially" unemployed. If you have been out of work a very long time, you are not included in these numbers. The real number is significantly higher and growing.

Then you can also consider "Underemployment" for the legions of people who have had to take part time work after the loss of full time work. Then these numbers go up even more.

And that is all before you consider the 17%+ who live in poverty with little or no hope of better employment.

The media and governments don't want to say it, but since 2008 working people have been living through a second great depression.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

"Actively job seeking" is a joke anyway.

Goverment requires you to visit hello work on certain days, meet your local goverment worker and do some show-searching.

Problem is very few companies now post for workers on the Hello work site, they prefer agencies, job-aidem, etc. Also Hello work job postings can be accessed by anyone via their PC and no need to sign-up. So for one position you get 30-40 people applying. Good Luck getting it.

Further reduce the changes if you are over 40 and below 60, got kids or are even a single parent.

Don't matter how many companies you contact they only count the number of actual Interviews you do and of course Hello Work gets feedback on those.

BTW, all of hello Work is Japanese only, there is an office in shinjuku West where they have english speakers but local wards still need you to visit local offices in addition.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Good comments people. tkoind2 is exactly right about the "underemployed". What work is available anyway for any of these people? The answer is: Service jobs. It's quite the blow to your ego to go from a good company gig to working at Circle K or Eneos part-time. This is not employment by any means, nor is it good for the workforce. Who are we servicing? Consumers with little or no money already. Seems as though the chasm is deepening and the neglected recession is going to be chaotic in the next few years. Get ready for a surge in crime.

Foreigners in unemployment? If you are lucky to have the proper insurance from your company (very very few are) then you may be covered for a few months to a year depending how long you were working for the company. But the majority of foreign labour has been neglected these rights from the outset ... this goes for all you eikaiwa workers especially. You'll take a quick paycheck and not pay into the national pension or healthcare system, since your company cleverly keeps your hours below the legal minimum whereas they have to cover these costs. However, you still have to pay into the pension and healthcare out of your pocket based on your earnings. Yet, how many of you do this is a mystery.

Companies out there always claim ignorance on a lot of these matters and if you do some checking at the labour standards bureau you'll soon find that you've been cheated. The real catch is, if you call out your employer on any of these matters you'll soon be shown the door at the end of the contract. Thus, most foreigners keep their mouths shut with the knowledge they'll be moving on from Japan someday. As for our ex-pat compatriots from South America or SE Asia, god only knows how their being cheated. Then again, the J-Government has been known to buy plane tickets home for them.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

The jobless rate for men stood at 4.8%, while that for women was at 4.0%,

This is equivalent to US 9.6% as US jobless people stay on stats up to 96 weeks. Japan needs to get serious as things are getting even worse. People without skills will have a tough time.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Raise the consumption tax so more people can be on a paid vacation. Don't worry about the economy because they will be consumers, too.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Noriyosan73 You don't know why? It's easy. You country is corrupt. It has lost it's honor and has no problem asking for handouts.

Japan is a rich country. At the Tokyo Motor Show I saw Japanese families on the upper levels of pavilions talking with sales people, purchasing new BMW's and Benz's ON THE SPOT. I'm talking AMGs.

Japan has all this money but you won't take care of your own people. You've got Ishihara talking about building a base on some rock but hasn't rebuilt any houses, roads, bridges, library or parks in the devastated areas.

Up at the top, they are doing whatever they want. Corporations have those guys bought and paid for. Seriously, you and about a million or more have to bring them down. You know where they are at, you know where they work. hell, you even know where they park their super rich cars. Why hasn't your society opened a can of whoop ass on them?

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Nagatacho does not care about you and me, oh, sorry they do only around...ELECTION TIME! The poor people up in Tohoku are still living in crappy school gyms, cold, no $$$ and then we get this kind of news?? Any surprise for us living here in Japan?? HELL NO!!

4 ( +5 / -1 )

The jobless rate for men stood at 4.8%, while that for women was at 4.0%,

You say what??? How come this is going to be a serious problem?

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry said Monday that the number of welfare recipients in Japan reached a record high of 2.60 million as of Aug 31

I heard it last month. The figures are slightly higher this time--the ministry fixed the data, I think. Still, this represents only 2% of a total population. I wouldn't say it's not a big deal to Japan, but there should be an impending concern Japanese government should address to the public, I think.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I am pretty sure this same article appeared here a few weeks ago.

Moderator: No, it didn't.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

No, it didn't.

Really? Respectfully:

Japan sees record number of welfare recipients National Nov. 10, 2011

http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/japan-sees-record-number-of-welfare-recipients

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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