By Naonobu Nishimoto
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare announced recently that the business sector is recovering slowly. However, it has been pointed out that youths called NEETs are increasing. What are NEETs, anyway?
NEETs are young people who don't go to school, don't work full-time, and are not in a job training program. The term NEET stands for "not in education, employment or training." NEET was commonly used in the latter half of the 1990's in England, and Japan has used it for the last year or two.
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare did a study of NEETs in "An analysis of the labor economy" (Labor's economic white paper, 2004 edition). The number of NEETs was found to be 680,000, which―according to the white paper― is the total number of the people who have neither worked nor are actively looking for a job and includes: (1) 15 to 34 years-olds, (2) graduates from senior high school, (3) singles and, (4) those not doing household work nor attending school. The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare announced that the number of NEETs increases by 40,000 people every year.
In addition, Reiko Koike, Vice Manager of the Labor Policy Research Organization said that NEETs are generally categorized as four types: (1) the anti-social type, (2) those that withdraw from society, (3) those paralyzed with indecision and, (4) those who have no confidence to work and soon quit their job. Furthermore, there are also cases where students are enrolled in school, but don't actually attend school, so the number of NEETs was found to be much larger than expected.
Companies tend to employ new graduates all at once to create a cohesive and adaptable workforce. As a result, it is hard to find a job in mid-career. Statistics show that there are many young people aged 19 to 23 who graduate from high school or university, but still can't find a job. This is a big problem.
It is a matter of supply and demand. First, the labor supply will decrease in the future, so growth will slow down and inflation will edge up. Young people usually pay social insurance premiums. However if there is no work to be found, they may be receiving unemployment insurance instead.
Last December the government started an employment policy called "self-help and challenge plan for youth," which is encouraging employment. They created a Job Caf� which offers career advice for the unemployed and a cram school for young people to encourage them to be independent. Through community life, volunteer activities, work experience and study, the government hopes to encourage NEETs to go to work with confidence and motivation. Forty cram schools were opened throughout the country and their managers were recruited from the general public.
However, these are nothing but stopgap measures. As a matter of fact, this may not solve the problems completely. The most important thing is for families to talk about the meaning of work at family time and to strengthen family ties. We tend to regard NEETs as lazy, but actually many of them want to work but can't because of the various reasons listed above.
Japanese society tends to frown on children who do not work and who depend on their parents for every thing, and it also tends to exclude NEETs from society. In Europe and the United States, the problem of NEETs is thought to depended partly on personal ability, but in general it is thought to be more of a problem of the companies which employ them. In Japan, NEETs are regarded as people who can't adapt to society and who have personal problems. However, it is not just a personal problem concerning one's ability, but also a problem in society at large, such as problems in education to name just one.
Generally speaking, if the economy recovers then the number of NEETs will decrease. Those that withdraw from society need professional help, family support, and understanding from society because they have psychological issues to overcome. It is hoped they will find a path where they can function effectively in society and that, in turn, society will help lighten their burden.