Freeter

In Japan, a freeter (フリーター, furītā) is a person aged 18 to 34 who is unemployed, underemployed, or otherwise lacks full-time paid employment. The term excludes stay-at-home spouses and students. Freeters do not start a career after high school or university, but instead earn money from low-paid jobs. The word freeter or freeta is thought to be a portmanteau of the English word free (or perhaps freelance) and the German word Arbeiter ("labourer"). Arubaito is a Japanese loanword from Arbeiter, and perhaps from Arbeit ("work"). As German (along with English) was used in Japanese universities before World War II, especially for science and medicine, arubaito became common among students to describe part-time work for university students. This term was coined in 1987 by Michishita Hiroshi, editor of the part-time job magazine From A, and was used to describe a "free" worker who worked fewer hours, earned pay hourly instead of through a monthly paycheck, and received none of the benefits of a regular full time worker (such as holiday pay, sick pay, bonus pay or paid leave). The meaning of the term developed negative connotations in the 1990s after the Japanese asset price bubble broke resulting in a recession, and Freeters began to be seen as a burden on society. In the 1980s, the term had been seen in a positive light signifying the freedom to explore other alternative options for employment when the economy of Japan was prosperous with many different job opportunities. If they work at all, freeters often work at convenience stores, supermarkets, fast food outlets, restaurants, and other low paying jobs. According to a survey by the Japan Institute of Labor in 2000, the average freeter works 4.9 days per week and earns ¥139,000 per month (ca. $1,300 U.S.). Two thirds of freeters have never had...