Full-time woes for Part-timers, What would singapore face?

In yesterday’s The Straits Times dated Tuesday Feb 8, 2005 under ASIA, there was an article on the Japanese economy titled ‘Full-time woes for part-time workers’, stating its deteorating quality of employment. It talks about how Japan’s unemployment, though at its lowest in 6 years at 4.4%, but the paucity of jobs available for whom Japan’s one time promise of stable life-time careers has become a myth.

This would mean that though Japan had its lowest un-employment in 6 years, the statistics do not tell that the jobs available were mainly part-time or contract based and therefore paid less. And the policy makers in Japan are actually worried that this may effect its people by discouraging them from having children due to an uncertain environment.

It was surveyed that 70% of those who opted for the more flexible part-time work in the past, now prefer full-time jobs. Jobs offered to new graduates are also decreasing, employers opting for people with experience and could fit immediately in.
This prompted many youths who were turned off by the job hunt to rely on their parents for support.

The Question is this, if Singapore, who seem to mimic the trends and structures of the Japanese economy, possibly face the same problem which Japan has on their hands now? The full-time woes for part-time workers?

Singapore already has the trend of a declining birth rate which is already in the pipeline and running, and it poses a real population situation. The root of this problem may not be the time and current finances of couples as what was initially proposed, but the lack of a certain future that hinders the subconscious of the average Singaporean that prevents child birth.

Everyone wants the best for their children, and if we can’t provide the best, then why have them?? Sentiments anyone?

I have not worked on a solution as yet, but my immediate sentiments say that free education is a key component.

Could the economy be heading towards a trend whereby there are more and more contract based and part-time works available in Singapore? It seems so. The classifieds has a reasonable and increasing amount of part-time/freelance jobs available, and it seems that most employers would want people with experience too, based on advertisements, jobs for new grads seem to be dwindling in Singapore too. If every job asks for experience as part of the criteria for employment, then where is the opportunity for the new grad??? How can he start???

How many study a degree of choice and yet not be able to enter the field they were taught for the purpose of fulfilling their potential in the chosen field?

If the University is where u study and train for a job, why is it you don’t get the job you were trained to do???

Personally, I believe something is wrong. Sentiments? No wonder childbirth rates are effected, with so much uncertainty looming.