Half of New Hires Want to Escape Japan: Survey

[Taro Toporific]

Half Of New Hires Want To Work Abroad: Survey
April 16, 2012 | TOKYO (Nikkei)--A little more than half of new employees want to be transferred overseas at some point in their careers, according to a survey by the Japan Management Association. Of the roughly 1,300 people that responded to the latest survey, 50.7% said they would like to do an overseas stint, up 5 percentage points from last year...more...

[dimwit]

"2 A.M. if you're lucky you insubordinate little shit."

From the people in companies I have taught, the general feeling is that work conditions overseas are easier, but I don't know if this is true for working everywhere or just North America/Europe

[matsuki]

"2 A.M. if you're lucky you insubordinate little shit."

From the people in companies I have taught, the general feeling is that work conditions overseas are easier, but I don't know if this is true for working everywhere or just North America/Europe

Once they work most places overseas, they won't want to work in Japan again...

[Samurai_Jerk]

From the people in companies I have taught, the general feeling is that work conditions overseas are easier, but I don't know if this is true for working everywhere or just North America/Europe

On average Americans work more or less the same number of hours per year and get far fewer vacation days and holidays.

[twww]

I was going to post this in an individual thread.

A worthwhile view.

[YT]7_l5b6lZ0mM[/YT]

[matsuki]

On average Americans work more or less the same number of hours per year and get far fewer vacation days and holidays.

I'm assuming there are Japanese work hour statistics in that average...we all know how reliable those are

[Sa_Race]

The top reason for wanting to work abroad -- given by 85.4% of respondents -- was to gain experience that cannot be had in Japan.

By "experience that cannot be had in Japan", they mean to learn how to work? Because this is ridiculous.


GDP per hour worked :




GDP per Worker :

[Samurai_Jerk]

I'm assuming there are Japanese work hour statistics in that average...we all know how reliable those are

Most studies I've seen done since 2000 put the US and Japan at very close numbers for hours worked per year. Sometimes the US is a little more sometimes Japan is a little more. The average permanently employed white-collar worker in Japan may put in more hours (I don't know) but Japan has a high percentage of the workforce in temp jobs (a trend the US seems to following now) and has lot of public employees. Also, the higher number of national holidays and paid leave helps bring the average number of hours worked per year down. Based on my own experience I would say most of my friends in Japan and the US average 10 - 12 hours a day.

Anyway, regardless of which country puts in more hours on average the Japanese image of American work-life balance is wrong. The US (and Canada) are a lot closer to Japan than they are to Europe when it comes to hours worked and time off.

[twww]

Half Of New Hires Want To Work Abroad: Survey
April 16, 2012 | TOKYO (Nikkei)--A little more than half of new employees want to be transferred overseas at some point in their careers, according to a survey by the Japan Management Association. Of the roughly 1,300 people that responded to the latest survey, 50.7% said they would like to do an overseas stint, up 5 percentage points from last year...more...

49% of new company freshmen in 2010 said they had no desire to work abroad.

[Sa_Race]

Of course, they fear about "safety, food and sanitation."

[matsuki]

Most studies I've seen done since 2000 put the US and Japan at very close numbers for hours worked per year. Sometimes the US is a little more sometimes Japan is a little more. The average permanently employed white-collar worker in Japan may put in more hours (I don't know) but Japan has a high percentage of the workforce in temp jobs (a trend the US seems to following now) and has lot of public employees. Also, the higher number of national holidays and paid leave helps bring the average number of hours worked per year down. Based on my own experience I would say most of my friends in Japan and the US average 10 - 12 hours a day.

Anyway, regardless of which country puts in more hours on average the Japanese image of American work-life balance is wrong. The US (and Canada) are a lot closer to Japan than they are to Europe when it comes to hours worked and time off.

From personal experience alone, with the exception of contract workers, nearly every J-person working for a J-company I know over here, works mad overtime and many are not allowed to record it. Many of the same people hardly ever take vacation and are often pressured into working on holidays. We all know the lists of excuses for this but just sayin' I doubt the J stats reflect these work hours. Then there's the issue of salary...

49% of new company freshmen in 2010 said they had no desire to work abroad.

Not sure if I posted this yet but here's a couple that was sitting next to me at a bar last week...they apparently overheard my conversation about my latest trip to LA:

Girl: "I want to go overseas!"

[color="Red"]Guy: "I don't want to"[/color]

Girl: "Why? It sounds interesting and so much fun!"

[color="Red"]Guy: "But I like Japan"[/color]

I mentioned this to a few J-friends and they all laughed and said the same thing. "How can you know you like Japan when you don't know what other counties are like?" (along with a bunch of comments about most J-guys being insecure, passive aggressive, emotional tards)

[gaijinpunch]

On average Americans work more or less the same number of hours per year and get far fewer vacation days and holidays.

Better rewards for "sticking out", better corporate path, and I have no stats to prove it but I'll say better money across the board as well.

What I'd like to see in those stats, is if the workers are paid hourly or salary in the US, and in Japan, hourly, daily, monthly, or salary. The only people I know in the US that put in grueling fucking hours in are small business owners, those in finance or law (IE, salary w/ a big year-end bonus attached), or hourly workers - this includes a lot of government jobs (law enforcement) sadly.

[Samurai_Jerk]

Better rewards for "sticking out", better corporate path, and I have no stats to prove it but I'll say better money across the board as well.

You still buy into the American Myth, er, Dream?

[wuchan]

Better rewards for "sticking out", better corporate path, and I have no stats to prove it but I'll say better money across the board as well.

What I'd like to see in those stats, is if the workers are paid hourly or salary in the US, and in Japan, hourly, daily, monthly, or salary. The only people I know in the US that put in grueling fucking hours in are small business owners, those in finance or law (IE, salary w/ a big year-end bonus attached), or hourly workers - this includes a lot of government jobs (law enforcement) sadly.

LOfuckinL When I left the US I was making 55k working 36 hours a week and I had one month of paid time off a year. Most people back home are suckers.

[legion]

LOfuckinL When I left the US I was making 55k working 36 hours a week and I had one month of paid time off a year. Most people back home are suckers.

that's why they started exporting jobs

[Tsuru]

I was going to post this in an individual thread.

A worthwhile view.

Thanks for posting!

Fuck, this is depressing.

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

49% of new company freshmen in 2010 said they had no desire to work abroad.

Every single, fucking one of my myriad problems in life at the moment derives entirely from my overenthusiasm in trying to work a broad...

[Coligny]

Every single, fucking one of my myriad problems in life at the moment derives entirely from my overenthusiasm in trying to work a broad...

[IparryU]

you and your pussies... get a life...


EDIT: I take that back... lets trade.

[Yokohammer]

I was going to post this in an individual thread.

A worthwhile view.

Second time I've seen this, and both times I've come away thinking it's an outstanding piece of documentation. So natural and so close to reality ... or at least one type of reality in Japan. A few bits of the translation don't accurately convey what's being said, but overall it's very good. The only thing I take issue with is the fact that the situation is presented as being a result of the bursting of Japan's economic bubble. More below ...

Fuck, this is depressing.

Really? I suppose it could be, but how much poverty have you seen/experienced in other countries? When you start comparing it really doesn't look that bad.

The thing that is most striking for me, having been a teenager here in the late 60's and early 70's, is that the type of situation/lifestyle documented is nothing new at all. I knew plenty of people in similar situations way back then. It was prevalent before the bubble, and continued in parallel with the nouveaux riche scene right throughout the bubble. We've just sort of come full circle. Of course some of the current players in that particular slice of life were deposited there by the disintegration of the bubble, but everyone who's there had to get there somehow. Some of the other "senior members" can probably back me up on this. It's not the full spectrum of Japanese society, and a few things have changed, but I don't really see anything new here at all. But that doesn't make this particular documentary any less meaningful and compelling. It's probably the best I've seen in terms of opening a window onto that segment of Japanese society. Excellent work.

So I don't really see it as being as depressing as some people probably do. There's still a lot of love and hope in those lives, even though that love and hope might not meet "normal" western standards.

[matsuki]

I still find it unbelievable how many people went from riches to rags when the bubble burst. It would seem the only people that came out on top were those with foreign investments...and we know how much Japanese individuals love investing in Gaikoku.

[cstaylor]

I still find it unbelievable how many people went from riches to rags when the bubble burst. It would seem the only people that came out on top were those with foreign investments...and we know how much Japanese individuals love investing in Gaikoku.

You only find out who is swimming naked when the tide goes out.

More here

[Yokohammer]

My favorite ...

Nothing sedates rationality like large doses of effortless money. After a heady experience of that kind, normally sensible people drift into behavior akin to that of Cinderella at the ball. They know that overstaying the festivities -- that is, continuing to speculate in companies that have gigantic valuations relative to the cash they are likely to generate in the future -- will eventually bring on pumpkins and mice. But they nevertheless hate to miss a single minute of what is one helluva party. Therefore, the giddy participants all plan to leave just seconds before midnight. There's a problem, though: They are dancing in a room in which the clocks have no hands.

Brilliant.

[matsuki]

Ahahaha Nice!