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This is gradually changing. I worked for a small Japanese company that eventually went under and if I look at my ex coworkers they are doing well. Some of them

by gommm 10y ago

This is gradually changing. I worked for a small Japanese company that eventually went under and if I look at my ex coworkers they are doing well. Some of them became freelancer/consultants and are being paid more than people I know who work at Sharp and have been hired directly out of university.

mathattack 10y ago
Freelancers generally get paid more on an hourly basis than full time in part because their hours aren't guaranteed. I think in Japan this also could be due to the implied longer term guarantees implied in the full time salaries that don't need to be paid to freelancers.
- gommm 10y ago
  Yes, definitely and as I mentioned in another comment, people who are not employed with a full time position will have a lot of difficulties getting a loan from a bank. But, in the case of my ex-coworkers, the difference is significant enough that they are in a much better situation in term of how much money they earn and how much hours they work than people working at let's say Sharp (and Sharp is still much better than a lot of places with full time employees because they limit overtime).
jordanb 10y ago
My understanding is that ending up as a Freelancer is really the worst possible outcome for a Japanese salaryman. It's not surprising they earn more because salaryman salaries are very low but they have no social status, job security, benefits, or pension that their old job gave them.
- gommm 10y ago
  They do have pensions and health care but they have to pay for it out of their salary (which also explains the difference in term of earnings). However at least for Software Engineers (I don't have experience in other fields), the difference is big enough to more than make up for the price of health care and pension and the loss of benefits. The only real problem is the lack of social status which means that it's very hard for a freelancer to get a bank loan to buy an house or an apartment.

by gommm 10y ago

mathattack 10y ago

Freelancers generally get paid more on an hourly basis than full time in part because their hours aren't guaranteed. I think in Japan this also could be due to the implied longer term guarantees implied in the full time salaries that don't need to be paid to freelancers.

gommm 10y ago
Yes, definitely and as I mentioned in another comment, people who are not employed with a full time position will have a lot of difficulties getting a loan from a bank. But, in the case of my ex-coworkers, the difference is significant enough that they are in a much better situation in term of how much money they earn and how much hours they work than people working at let's say Sharp (and Sharp is still much better than a lot of places with full time employees because they limit overtime).

jordanb 10y ago

My understanding is that ending up as a Freelancer is really the worst possible outcome for a Japanese salaryman. It's not surprising they earn more because salaryman salaries are very low but they have no social status, job security, benefits, or pension that their old job gave them.

gommm 10y ago
They do have pensions and health care but they have to pay for it out of their salary (which also explains the difference in term of earnings). However at least for Software Engineers (I don't have experience in other fields), the difference is big enough to more than make up for the price of health care and pension and the loss of benefits. The only real problem is the lack of social status which means that it's very hard for a freelancer to get a bank loan to buy an house or an apartment.