Happy Job-Hopper Wonders if She Should Become Regular Worker, Head Toward Career Path for Stable Future

The Yomiuri Shimbun

11:06 JST, October 6, 2024

Dear Troubleshooter:

I’m a 25-year-old woman and a job-hopper. Since I left school, I have changed jobs five times. My reasons for quitting past jobs were clear, such as that the benefits were not good enough or the pay did not match the amount of work required. However, I think moving around does not look good in the eyes of job interviewers.

I’m now working part-time to earn a living. I can spend my time freely, and I get paid good enough. To be blatantly honest, I’m leading a very fulfilling life.

I’ve been living this way for about two months, and I’m getting so used to this lifestyle that I find it hard to move on to finding a new job.

When I think about my future, I feel that I should become a full-time employee as soon as possible. However, then I think that no employer will hire someone like me full-time because I have frequently changed jobs.

I’m facing a dilemma, caught between wanting to maintain the current circumstances and feeling insecure about the future.

— O, Gunma Prefecture

Dear Ms. O:

You are now living a fulfilling and fun life. I envy you. Yet, you don’t know whether this happiness will last in the future. That’s why you sent us an email for advice, didn’t you?

In today’s Japanese society, there is still a huge difference between a regular, full-time employee and a non-regular employee.

There is a shortage of workers nowadays, so you find it easy to get a new job. Among young people, there is probably not much difference in incomes between regular and non-regular employees, at this point. Because you have little responsibility at work, you feel less stressful, and it is easy for you to take time for leisure.

However, as was seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, non-regular workers are the first to lose their jobs when such a situation occurs. Also, it is difficult for them to acquire job skills, and they have little prospect for a decent pay increase.

You may think that you will be OK once you get married. But do you know that the difference between regular and non-regular work will continue even after you get married?

For regular workers, it is easy to take childcare leave, during which time they still receive benefits. Part-time workers may end up having no income once they quit. There is a recent trend of more men than before wanting their future wives to be regular workers.

Therefore, please try to become a regular employee. Your job-hopping history is not a big deal these days. It would also be nice to take on the challenge on gaining useful qualifications. I’m sure you can do it.

— Masahiro Yamada, university professor