 |
Results
of the survey on “attitudes toward work” of 3,699
new recruits in April 2003 were announced on June 13
(June 13, 2003) |
| |
| The
JPC-SED has been conducting this survey every year since 1969
in spring when new recruits begin their employment. As a survey
that targets new recruits, as well as focuses on attitudes
toward work, it is a long-running and ongoing survey unparalleled
by any other survey. The survey questions have remained basically
the same for more than thirty years. This has enabled the
JPC-SED to accumulate a wealth of interesting data on changes
in attitudes toward work through the times. However, given
the recent move away from the seniority system and changes
in the values of the younger generation, several questions
had become outdated. The JPC-SED therefore renewed the survey
for the previous fiscal year by replacing some of the questions.
Yet, in light of the significant value of the chronological
data obtained thus far, questions that may not fully pertain
to today’s new recruits were kept in the survey as much
as possible. The survey for this fiscal year is the third
survey since it was renewed. |
| |
| Information
sources for seeking jobs |
 |
| Following
“company information sessions” (83.6%), the next
most numerous response was “corporate web sites on the
Internet” (80.3%). This clearly indicated that Internet
utilization has become an integral part of modern society.
This trend is especially conspicuous in graduates of four-year
universities. |
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| Criteria
for selecting companies |
|
| “I
can make the most of my abilities and individuality”
(30.1%) was the main reason why respondents selected their
companies. This was followed by “the job is interesting”
(20.0%), “I can acquire technical skills” (17.2%),
and other responses related to individual ability, technical
skills, or personal interests. On the other hand, responses
pertaining to the company of their employment accounted for
less than 10% of all responses. These included “the company
is a top-ranked firm” (2.5%), “I was inspired by
the corporate manager” (3.9%), and “the company
provides good fringe benefits” (1.0%). These results
reflect the recent trend toward “job-oriented employment”
rather than “company-oriented employment” accompanying
the break away from the seniority system. |
| |
| Attitudes
toward work |
|
| The
top three answers were: (1) “I want to expand my relationships
with people through my work” (95.9%); (2) “I want
to acquire a specialized skill that I can use anywhere”
(93.5%); (3) “I want to engage in work that is appreciated
by society and other people” (92.5%). The response, “I
am worried that I may lose my job due to corporate restructuring,”
accounted for 41.8% last year and 39.9% this year, and “I
am worried that the company may eventually go bankrupt or
break up” for 29.8% last year and 27.0% this year. Both
responses maintained roughly the same levels over last year,
and revealed continuing insecurity concerning the stability
of companies themselves and employment in general. |
| |
| Work
life vs. personal life |
|
| The
majority of respondents (79.5%) responded that they “achieve
a balance between their work life and personal life.”
This greatly exceeded responses that value “personal
life” (10.1%) or “work life” (10.3%) exclusively. |
| |
| Evaluation
of school days |
|
| Responses
that “school days were fun” (94.7%) and “school
days were enriching” (87.1%) were high, regardless of
respondents’ academic background. However, only 65.2%
of the respondents felt that their school studies “were
helpful.” |
| |
| General
values concerning lifestyles |
|
| The
top two answers were “I want to live my life my own way
no matter what others may think about it” (87.9%) and
“As long as I keep a bright outlook and act positively,
I can accomplish almost anything” (84.9%). This shows
that people are increasingly interested in living positively
according to their own values. |
