Don't quit, but don't work hard. A Generation Born around 1980 (from Japan)

Here is the partial rough citation from an article (written in Japanese) by JCast:

Hanging Employees Born around 1980--Don't quit a company, but don't work hard either.

Those who are more than 50s are Harmful Elders, and those who are 40s are Bubble, and those who are 20s are Loose. However, 30s have also a critical problem.

Minoru Yoshida, president of a company which provides employee training programs with companies, describes company employees born around 1980 as "Hanging Employees". He said, "They don't quit a company, but don't work hard. They just hang in their companies. Without dealing with them, companies's future is dangerous."

(Some points picked up from the article)
- There are a lot of company workers who are around 30 years old and have characteristics belonging to "Hanging Employees." They give up themselves, organizations and future.

- The company employees at the age of around 30 are not irresponsible, but rather serious, and they don't come to office late and will not goof off. However, they don't try to work on difficult tasks. They are just passive.

- They think that what is wrong is not themselves but time.

- It is true that this generation (around 30 years old now) has suffered from big changes of society. When they graduated, the bubble collapsed, and to find a job became pretty tough and their generation was called "Employment Ice Age Generation" at that time.

- When they entered  a company successfully, a traditional salary system changed from seniority based salary to competence based salary, which caused a lot of workers to have worse mental health. In addition, when they tried to think about changing a job, Lehman Shock occurred.

(unquote)

Some comments online for this news:

- Those who are around 30 years old now know that there is no future. Plus, once they lose a job, their age will prevent them from getting a new job.

- There is no seat for higher positions because there are a full of old workers there already.

- They do their job honestly and enjoy their time with their family or friends. Isn't it just ideal?

- They just adapted themselves to this current society. So, there is no choice although it is a difficult matter to companies.

- Everybody just wants to push a social responsibility to somebody else. Actually, mass media  is just leading this trend, isn't it?

- Working hard doesn't mean higher salary or bonus.

- Baby boomer generation has created current society, right?

- 20s generation is also same. Get out of Japan if you seek for your growth.

- Those who are around 30 years old could not expect seniority based salary and life time employment system from the beginning, which is totally different from older generation people who have been able to enjoy these sweet  systems. Therefore, it is natural that around 30 years old or younger people have much less loyalty to companies.

(unquote)

Recently, Japan society is full of somberness and depression. One of the biggest reason is actually that people in private sectors start to know huge different treatments are given to government employees, especially, so called "Amakudari" (decent from heaven) people who were government employees. People in private sectors are furious and have lost mood to work hard in order to donate their sweat and blood to white ants (government employees).

It is true that economy is pretty bad here in Japan, too, but social factors including the above-mentioned tax eaters (government employees whose salary is still pretty guaranteed with guaranteed bonuses under any economy as well as unreasonably protected life time employment system even for those who are incompetent enough to be fired if they work for private companies) seem to have been stealing hard-working motivation from young people and those in private sectors.

Now, in some questionnaires, a most popular job among elementary and primary students and young people is to be a government employee (Many seem to want to be just an office clerk, though). They know that it is an easy job and no skill is required, but salary is guaranteed and life time employment is guaranteed as well.

That's why Japan has been declining in many areas and started to lose competitive power in private companies.

Many Japanese are really wondering why Japanese yen is still so strong under these deteriorating environments (which means US and Euro are so bad now, probably, though).

Invisible Bankruptcy and Discontinuation of Business Have Gone up! (from Japan)

Gendai.net (Japanese) reported (partial summary):

Last year, the number of bankruptcy cases went below 13,000 cases for the first time in 13 years. The number shows that corporate bankruptcies are going down. However, it turned out to be fake.

General Manager in Tokyo Shoko Research said, "Actually, companies which were closed down or stopped to do their business temporarily increased explosively. These cases are twice as many as the cases of corporate bankruptcies."

Since the disastrous earthquake in March 11, such cases have increased.  Companies which closed down their business by themselves are not counted in the number of bankruptcy. However, this should be the same as bankruptcy. These cases can be counted as "invisible bankruptcy".

(unquote)

Some comments for this news online (rough summary):

- Great job, Democratic Party of Japan! You guys killed everybody except for government employees (who are very hated in Japan recently)
- Recently, big companies started to shift their factories and the number of jobs is getting less and less. In addition, yen is so strong. Thank you, DPJ. You guys contributed to the destruction of Japan (grin)
- DPJ which chose Shirakawa as a head of Bank of Japan is fully responsible.
- Winners are only white ants government employees and politicians (LOL)
- Daily life protection is much more profitable than running small businesses.
- In local areas, nobody goes to local shops to buy products. People buy online.
- There are quite a lot of empty offices in central areas of Tokyo, even in spaces right above subway stations. It seems that people who give up their real estates start to increase, so that many buildings are destroyed.
- I am also self-employed, and I start to lose even spirits to earn money. If I can earn around 300 million yen per year, it will be already enough. I will be just happy if I can live. I don't want to work harder like in the past any more, which is meaningless nowadays.
- Destroy DPJ!
- Soon, banks will recapitalize and financial crisis will take place.

(unquote)

Japanese yen has been pretty strong even after the big earthquake, tsunami and radiation contamination. However, a lot of Japanese people are suspicious and wondering why Japanese currency is so strong because real economic situation is pretty awful.

US economy and EU economy must be much more terrible, probably. However, in a few years (or earlier), a real crisis (economical) may come to Japan and Japanese yen may be much cheaper than now.

Now here in Japan, people cannot find a positive light at all, especially, for young people.