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Japan’s lost generation is still jobless and living with their parents

bloomberg.com

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Re: Japan’s lost generation is still jobless and living with their parents

#281

Post by pessimizer »

sirspacey wrote: post #156

The article clearly identifies the source of this challenge: HR culture I’ve worked in HR in the US. To say it is unbearably broken doesn’t begin to cover it. Japan’s rigid hiring rituals are specific but I’ve encountered quite a bit of rigidity in HR culture in the US as well. As we see nearly daily here on HN, the “filter process” HR uses is highly resistant to change and based on traditions that are objectively us…

> This is a problem that can, and has, destroyed nations.

I agree, and think it should be a national concern. I don't know how building highways is a legitimate use of government power where matchmaking between workers and employers is not. It's the type of big government intervention that virtually no one would complain about. The amount of excess effort wasted in matching people to employment is entirely wasted. Minimizing it would be like giving everybody a raise.

Re: Japan’s lost generation is still jobless and living with their parents

#282

Post by [deleted] »

refurb wrote: post #275
asdff wrote: post #239

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can do all of that while living with your parents, depending on if they treat you as an adult or not.

To a degree. But there’s a difference between making sure you pay rent because otherwise you’ll be homeless and being worried your parents will be upset because you didn’t pay for groceries this week.

[deleted]

Re: Japan’s lost generation is still jobless and living with their parents

#283

Post by pessimizer »

zajio1am wrote: post #194
watwut wrote: post #50

The American obsession over living or not with parents sounds almost pathological to me. Being jobless is issue. Long term inability to find partner is issue. But, if you don't have partner, what exactly is the reason for moving to live alone and why is focus specifically on "omg someone lives with parents"? I mean, multigenerational households were historical norm. It is not something super special that happened jus…

> But, if you don't have partner, what exactly is the reason for moving to live alone and why is focus specifically on "omg someone lives with parents"? Freedom, independence, personal autonomy. Even having good relations with my parents i prefer to have some distance and meet them on equal terms. And i do not know about 'American'. Preference for independent living seems common also here in Europe. > I mean, multige…

I prefer not to meet with my parents on equal terms even though I'm middle-aged and they're approaching old age. I've got billions of people I can treat like strangers, why not give my first teachers a special status? You might say that I treat my parents as if they were my very own parents.

I don't understand the lionization of letting the atomization of society pervade even your closest and oldest relationships. I understood what my mother was before I understood what walking was, and far before I understood what a dollar was. I don't feel a need to be absolutely autonomous to be an adult. I also don't feel free to disappoint my parents just because they can't punish me for it.

Re: Japan’s lost generation is still jobless and living with their parents

#284

Post by pessimizer »

abellerose wrote: post #201
watwut wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I could afford to move out sooner, but it would be waste of money. Instead I gave parents something out of what I earned to cover what I eat and some. It just was not an issue in any way. What exactly would I gained if I moved elsewhere to live alone or with roommate?

Not everyone has parents that are normal people. Some people have parents that are abusive. Unsure if you're looking for why some people do want to move out as soon as possible but that's a main one for a lot of people. I know a lot of college adults cannot afford to go to university while having a part time job and living alone. Sucks for them if their parents are abusive. Not so much if parents are okay.

Also some people don't have parents. But your family doesn't have to be the one you're born with. There are lots of families who have taken in one of their children's friends as a virtual child to rescue them from a bad situation. I'd assumed that most families have members who aren't actually related by blood or marriage. In my family, they end up being "uncles" and "aunts," but started off as "play-cousins" and "play-children." Maybe it's a black thing.

Re: Japan’s lost generation is still jobless and living with their parents

#285

Post by EE84M3i »

gfxgirl wrote: post #69

A friend of mine works at Amazon Japan. She's working 10-12 hrs a day, 6 days week. She gets paid no overtime. AFAIK that's illegal in Japan but here Amazon is doing it.

In Japanese employment, you can have a contract that pays you for overtime regardless of if you work it. Thus, in effect you don't get paid more for working more, but you are technically getting paid overtime by law.

Re: Japan’s lost generation is still jobless and living with their parents

#286

Post by [deleted] »

golemiprague wrote: post #245
latch wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've lived for multiple years in Singapore, Shanghai and Hong Kong. I think they're all great. For the sake of argument, I'll try to keep this about Tokyo, but a key observation of mine is that _all_ of Japan is like this. Objectively, Tokyo has the lowest pollution. Singapore is close, on average, but it can have awful week-long spikes. Tokyo has the lowest crime rate. Again, Singapore is basically the same, but it…

Singapore is boring, the whole place seems like a plastic copy of whatever the original is. Tokyo has its own culture and vibe and it shows, it is just much more fun. Every day in Tokyo you can discover new things, in Singapore the only thing you discover is another international food franchise. So apart from all the technicalities those are not even comparable places.

[deleted]

Re: Japan’s lost generation is still jobless and living with their parents

#287

Post by jjnoakes »

diob wrote: post #252
jjnoakes wrote: post #246

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What would that do to wages?

It'd probably do wonders for their economy, given the results from that Microsoft test where they only worked 4 days a week ( https://www.npr.org/2019/11/04/776163853/microsoft-japan-say... ). With that boost, people could work less and they could afford to pay them more. It's a win win situation, but it's hard to change views when it comes to work. Folks want to believe that working more is better, but really it's a…

If cutting hours for existing employees leads to increased productivity, then you don't need to hire new workers to make up the difference in hours.

Re: Japan’s lost generation is still jobless and living with their parents

#288

Post by x87678r »

eru wrote: post #272
x87678r wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Doesn't Singapore run on $1/hr workers from other countries? It has much higher inequality than Japan.

Global inequality doesn't go away just because we close our eyes to it. Yes, Singapore has special visas for people to come as construction workers or maids. Some Google suggests they make about 800 SGD/month in basic pay in construction Alas, if Singapore wouldn't hire them, not only would the city lose out on infrastructure projects, but the construction workers would lose out on high paying jobs. (High paying rela…

I have no problem with how Singapore operates. I thought the post above me said "I'd like to think that cities / countries of the future have lower inequality". I thought Singapore was a poor example of that.

Re: Japan’s lost generation is still jobless and living with their parents

#289

Post by krrishd »

maerF0x0 wrote: post #268
krrishd wrote: post #193

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> For example if we had perfect AI-robot slaves we'd all be jobless. Would it be a problem? i mean, it almost certainly would be, right? feel like we very instinctively/subconsciously derive our self-worth from what we're worth to our society (which tautologically comes from the share of responsibilities we take on). maybe the jobs wouldn't resemble anything like those of today, but i have no doubt we have an innate…

> self-worth from what we're worth to our society Is employer granted employment the only way to have value in a society? Personally I value motherhood far more than anything a woman could do in the workplace. Of course it's her choice what she wants to do with her life, but it's my opinion that there's little more important to a society than intensive investment in its children.

i agree 1000%, and i don’t think anything i said contradicts what you’re saying :)

my point wasn’t meant to be about employment, but about having something important to do/contribute, should have caveated that it wasn’t just about “jobs”

Re: Japan’s lost generation is still jobless and living with their parents

#290

Post by diob »

AA-BA-94-2A-56 wrote: post #260
diob wrote: post #252

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It'd probably do wonders for their economy, given the results from that Microsoft test where they only worked 4 days a week ( https://www.npr.org/2019/11/04/776163853/microsoft-japan-say... ). With that boost, people could work less and they could afford to pay them more. It's a win win situation, but it's hard to change views when it comes to work. Folks want to believe that working more is better, but really it's a…

People working 60 hours aren't going to have time to consume services. If everyone worked 30 hours instead, you'd probably see an increase in the demand for services (entertainment, fitness, etc). This would result in an increase in GDP, growth in the economy, and likely more demand for workers. But that's just my econ 101 knowledge.

Yup, and they'd have time to start their own pursuits or small businesses. It's really a win win.
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