US Follows Japan: The Rise of Freeters, aka Temps

[Hannah Bell]

One of the post-bubble era trends in Japan that has caused consternation within the island nation is the rise of an employed underclass. The old economic model was lifetime employment, even though that was a reality observed more at large companies than in the economy overall. Nevertheless, college graduates could expect to find a job without much difficulty and look forward to a stable career if they performed reasonably well.

...even worse from a societal standpoint is the rise of “freeters” or workers hired into temporary jobs. Some of them can work for the same company for a very long time, but they are not only paid less, but are also not in the hierarchy of permanent worker. Many become freeters right out of college, and are never able to get back on track with their peers, since companies in Japan, as in the US, prefer to hire new college or professional school graduates into their entry level positions.

The bigger implications for Japan are negative. Many freeters can’t afford to live by themselves, and therefore become “parasite singles” staying with their parents. The delay in or inability to support oneself further suppresses Japan’s birthrate, worsening its demographic crisis. And it exerts a psychological toll, particularly in Japan, which places particular importance on group ties.

The gap between extremes of income at the top and bottom of society — measured by the Gini coefficient — has been growing in Japan for years. To the surprise of many outsiders, once-egalitarian Japan is becoming a nation of haves and have-nots…

More than one-third of the workforce is part-time as companies have shed the famed Japanese lifetime employment system, nudged along by government legislation that abolished restrictions on flexible hiring a few years ago.

http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2010/12/us-follows-japan-the-rise-of-freeters-aka-temps.html


As noted in the comments, it's not only Japan -- this is a global trend.

[SpiralHawk]

1. Freeters = Proles

Welcome to the Brave New RepubliPlanet, Inc. (R).

[maryf]

2. My brother has been working for three years in the same job as a "temp"

makes the term a bit of a misnomer.

[madrchsod]

3. which means absolutely no loyalty to the company

the only way a company can survive is to hope the workers really give a shit about putting out a quality product. in most cases workers do take pride in their work but only for so long. one day they won`t be.

[SpiralHawk]

5. ...and also means doodley squat for rights and security

the eminently expendable prole...

[RSillsbee]

6. I worked in a place were at least half the employees were temps

The company offered all open positions internally before offering them publicly and the only real hope a temp had of getting hired was to apply for a job that none of the permanent employees wanted.

If a temp were offered a position and turned it down that temp was never offered a position again. I got hired because the temp ahead of me turned down a 2nd shift position (originally offered as 1st shift) and they never even reviewed his file again. I knew temps that worked there for years that would apply for jobs that they were clearly qualified and wouldn't even be considered

The temps were treated like crap. I saw at least two instances in which a temp said something that offended a permanent employee the perm just walked over to the manager made a complaint and the temp was out the door w/ in a half hour.

Temps received no benefits, no shift pay, no holiday pay(if they worked on a holiday it was straight time)and no PTO. ETA even their company uniforms didn't have name tags they just said "TEMP"

[DavidDvorkin]

10. Loyalty to the company isn't repaid

in modern corporate America. Loyalty should go both ways, but it doesn't.

All so-called permanent jobs are temporary.

[lunatica]

4. The developed countries are undergoing some major societal changes due

to corporate greed. The extended family is coming back and this creates other changes like the above mentioned lack of personal independence and how that affects people.

[Godhumor]

7. Tokyo Sonata is a great movie dealing with the economic and societal changes in Japan

Highly recommend it.

[Javaman]

8. Where I work...

they only hire contract employees now.

[IDemo]

9. I worked a "managed service" (perma-temp) job for 7 years

Most of the techs were employed by the same contracting company. One I worked with had been there for 12 years.