Job Discussion Forums

[japan_01]

As I wondered pass a busy carpark yesterday in Nagoya, I noticed a 60 something year old Japanese woman with make up as thick as my king novel directing traffic. It hit home when I realised this is NOT a rare thing in Japan. Many "old" people are "working" as security guards/ carpark directors. Standing next to her was a young male in his 20's helping her direct the 1 car (at that time). I wonder if these sort of security jobs are actually taken seriously in Japan? Is holding a red wand really that necessary? Will society see that 20 year old man still directing traffic another 40 years down the track?

[JimDunlop2]

Of course it's not necessary. It's all artificial employment. When I went to get my new (used) car registered into my name at the transport bureau (I chose to do it myself instead of having a mechanic or Japanese friend do it for me), I spent a fair bit of time running around.

The bureaucracy is so THICK there, Hermes (from Futurama) would feel ashamed.

First you fill out a form and bring it to "Window 5" in "Building B" where they do their thing, and then send you to "window 3" over in "Building A" where you pick up some more paperwork to bring to "building C". Then they send you back to building B, once more to building A, and back again to building B where you started. Then to deregister my old car, I had to do almost the same procedure except for building C (wasn't necessary).

Why is it that in other countries they can get by just fine without this kind of mess? Fact is, it's absolutely NOT necessary but it keeps people employed and productive members of society. It gives them money to spend, which helps keep the economy running.

When Communism was a prevailing philosophy in Central and Eastern Europe years ago, they tried to do the same thing. You would be hard up finding someone unemployed. Near 100% employment is admirable, however when the money to pay the workers all comes from a centralized government, you tend to incur debt, bankrupt the country and cause economic collapse. I'm convinced that if the people hadn't effected change on their own when they did, complete, catastrophic economic collapse was imminent and close on the horizon.

The difference with Japan is that it seems to be able to support itself somehow. Even though there are TONS of artificially-created jobs, it seems to be self-supporting. I'm not an economist, but Iwould be curious to find out what one would say about this phenomenon.

[Hoser]

Yes it's a little ridiculous. I always think this when I'm biking to or by the grocery store. The goddamn cars can drive out of the parking lot by themselves for god sakes! They don't need some old man there waving them out. Or perhaps the Japanese are not capable of making a right hand turn from a parking lot onto a street? Anyways I suppose it helps make the older generation feel useful. And if there's anything that the old generation here loves to do it's to tell YOU what to do.

[JimDunlop2]

But at the same time, I actually do like having parking-monkeys around (usually).

One, they help me find a parking spot really quick, and two, they do seem to have the effect of slowing down the traffic in the lot. Contrary to popular belief, the speed limit from the store entrance to the road is NOT 60 km/h.

[japan_01]

[cornishmuppet]

I was up in the mountains taking a drive one night, on some lonesome back road which is cut off by the snow during the winter, when I came upon a traffic light. It was about 5 degrees outside, and I hadn't seen a house in miles. The light was green, and appeared to be there because of a small works hole on one side of the road that was clearly marked off by a fence with the usual fluorescents on it. As I approached the light, I noticed a small car parked up behind it, as just as I reached it, a youngish guy jumped out of the car, turned on his lightsaber and ushered me through. As I passed, I watched him get back into the car in my rearview mirror.

That was the most pointlessly employed person I've seen in a country of many. Completely unnecessary, and anyone stupid enough to drive into that hole would have deserved it. All I can think about it that the poor guy must have been so lonely all the way up there, not to mention spooked. Better than standing in a dole queue? Hmmm..... at least during the day it would have been a pretty, quiet area to stand in, but in the middle of the night? It was close to 2am at the time.

[furiousmilksheikali]

What's wrong with employing people to do "pointless" jobs if it stops people being pointlessly unemployed?

It could be said that the Big Issue is a pointless publication but the fact that it allows homeless people to stand on their feet and have a job means that there is a necessary point for them selling it.

Let's have a round of applause for the red baton guys!

[cornishmuppet]

I love the way they seem to take such pride in their work. As they wave you along a section of temporary pavement that is already clearly marked, they have such a look of dedication on their faces that I'm often moved to thank them for their hard efforts. Its admirable really. We could do with more of it in England.

[wolfman]

[gaijinalways]

I'll take a stab at an explanation. I would hazard a guess that any economy with 'fluff' jobs has to make up for it by exporting. Japan still subsidizes their exports by overcharging their domestic market. Look at the prices of some Japanese items that are still cheaper in overseas developed markets. Wonder why rice is so expensive in a country where so many people scarf the stuff down?

Of course, some might state it's good to keep more people employed, but you do have to pay for it. In this sense higher prices or our taxes do the work as these people you see as 'parking' and 'driving' guides are paid by the companies involved, the government or contracted by the government through smaller private companies. There is no free lunch, that hasn't changed, just another economic system. Obviously seems superior to the Soviet one as it is open to the outside (the Soviets didn't really export much of their poor quality goods except to their satelite colonies) and a relative representative democracy.

It reminds me of the countries in northern Europe where one of them, maybe Sweden, had over a 1/3 of the people employed in government. Here it's more people are willing to pay for this image of safety (which sometimes has some big holes punched in it) .

[furiousmilksheikali]

Yes but a lot of things have to be paid for that we wouldn't feel so inclined to get rid of such as public healthcare and pensions. Strictly speaking these things aren't "efficient" but I would rather that money goes to keeping people employed in "pointless" jobs that, as others have pointed out, people here do with a sense of pride rather than put them out of a job and pay the necessary welfare costs (or else see people pitched out on to the streets to swell the already large numbers of homeless here).

I have an idea, I'd rather see money diverted to keeping people employed as red baton wielders than pay for the companies that employ them to carry out pointless bulldozing of mountains or covering mountains in concrete. In a society of pork-barrel politics this seems like the least bad option. Your money's going to wasted one way or another, waste it on giving someone a living.

[JimDunlop2]

[japan_01]

[Hoser]

lol they DO love to smile at MacDonalds don't they!

[Venti]