Job hunting, or shuukatsu, is perhaps one of
the most stressful experiences a Japanese university graduate will have to
face, and it’s taking a huge toll on their mental health.
Yomiuri Shimbun reports
that suicide rates of people in their late teens and early 20s have increased
250 per cent from 2007, because fewer graduates are finding full time work.
Beginning
in the second half of their third year of study, students spend 18 months
handing out resumes and taking interviews in the hope of obtaining a coveted
position of lifetime employment in a reasonably-sized company.
But for
many of these job hunters, it’s not uncommon to send over 100 resumes, only to
be turned down 100 times.
According
to the National Police Agency, in 2011, 150 people committed suicide due to not
finding a job.
In a
society that is still largely defined by who you work for and what you do, the
stress of not finding a job is particularly bad. Over 80 per cent of people who
committed suicide last year were male.
Last
year’s Great Eastern Japan Earthquake has also had a huge impact on the jobless
rates of Japan’s graduates.
Over 75
per cent of survivors
from Fukushima, Iwate and Miyagi Prefectures are either unemployed or still
searching for work, according to the Yomiuri Shimbun.
This figure was particularly bad in Fukushima, where only 13 per cent of people
have found jobs.
But
people outside of Tohoku are also feeling the effects of the disaster.
Another
report by the Yomiuri shows
that the number of graduates willing to work in nuclear technology jobs has
dropped.
Isshin
Takenaka, a first-year graduate student at the University of Tokyo in the Department
of Nuclear Engineering and Management told the paper that instability in the
nuclear sector made it too risky a career choice.
“I no
longer want to join the nuclear power industry; I’ll search for a job in
another field,” he said.
In an
attempt to counter these frightening statistics, the Japanese government
employment service centre, Hello Work, has announced it plans to set up
branches at universities.
The
Mainichi Daily reports that the move would allow Hello Work to work
closely with the university’s job placement programs as well as smaller,
lesser-known firms who are looking for new recruits.
The
program would also help to promote work experience and internship programs at
local businesses and nonprofit organizations.
The
draft proposal of the Hello Work, University program is expected to be
discussed in government, with the final proposal to be released in June.
Business & Investment Opportunities
YourVietnamExpert is a division of Saigon Business Corporation Pte Ltd, Incorporated in Singapore since 1994. As Your Business Companion, we propose a range of services in Strategy, Investment and Management, focusing Healthcare and Life Science with expertise in ASEAN. We also propose Higher Education, as a bridge between educational structures and industries, by supporting international programmes. Many thanks for visiting www.yourvietnamexpert.com and/or contacting us at contact@yourvietnamexpert.com
Dear
Reader,
May I
invite you to visit our new blog: IIMS-Asean http://iims-asean.blogspot.com/
News
and activities of the International Institute of Medicine and Science Asean
Chapter of IIMS, Inc. California, USA - Health care, Life Science, Education,
Research, Philanthropy. Asean is the economic organisation of ten countries
located in South East Asia: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR,
Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. IIMS is a
non-profit organization.
No comments:
Post a Comment