Escape from Work is about an important evolution which has been
occurring in the Japanese labor market over the past decade. As Japanese
came to enjoy higher levels of affluence in the late 1980s and early
1990s, attitudes towards work and life course began to change. At the
same time, globalization and heightened competition have accelerated the
casualization of work in Japan. The furiitaa, young people who are
free-lance, long-term 'casuals, ' are less committed to their employers
and employment than is the norm in Japan. Based on rich interview data
and extensive surveys, author Reiko Kosugi documents the increase in the
number of casual workers in Japan over the past two decades and looks at
their demographics. This study explores ways in which young persons
falling outside the normal pattern of transition from school to
employment might better be incorporated into Japan's world of regular,
full-time employment. At the same time, Kosugi calls for a reappraisal
of the rather negative way in which those in the labor market hiring
casuals have been traditionally conceived, and recommends acceptance of
that market as a means of providing viable career and lifestyle options
for the Japanese in the 21st century