In recent years, many young workers in Japan have shown little interest in becoming promoted. Surveys indicate a decline in the number of people in their twenties wanting to be in a managing position. Common reasons include a lack of interest in management itself, the perception that upper roles are little rewarded and aren't worth the responsibility , and the absence of happy role models among current managers.
This shift reflects a broader diversification of values toward work. Younger generations increasingly prioritize personal fulfillment outside the workplace, such as relationships, family time, and hobbies. At the same time, traditional Japanese employment practices—lifetime employment, seniority-based promotion, and male centered careers are weakening. Freelancing, project-based work, and short-term jobs are becoming more common. As a result, promotion and salary increases are no longer attractive among the younger working force , and career advancement within a single company is no longer seen as the main path .
One additional information that could be relatable to this article is the difference between a normal worker and in a managing position. This article shows that it isn't the position that is affecting the salary, it is the specific job that your are doing is the actual matter.
I thought that this article was important due to the fact that I thought that getting a promotion was the goal for most of the workers in Japan.
apa THE21オンライン. (2025, January 13). 「管理職に幸福そうな人がいない」昇進を望まない若手社員が増加している背景. THE21オンライン.
Actually, this doesn't surprise me at all. I've been teaching in Japan for more than 40 years. During that time, I've seen major chances in the interest and motivation of students to achieve high grades. It used to be the case that most students cared about their grades and tried to do the best they could to get an A or AA. Now, in some of my classes, 25% of the students don't put in enough effort in their assignments or attend class regularly enough to even get the minimum credit to pass the class. The students who really care about their grades are those who want to get scholarships, study abroad, or enter graduate school.
返信削除Sometimes I wish that employers looked at the academic transcripts of their perspective employees and considered grades as an important factor for hiring. That might make for more serious and industrious students. What would motivate you to study harder and do your work (like blogging) more regularly?
It is the case, though, that students in Japan take way too many classes simultaneously, making it difficult to really concentrate and to do justice to any of them. So, I guess employees merely consider the fact that a job applicant managed to survive the hectic university life, regardless of the grades they received.