2009 Volume 10 Issue 2 Pages 18-34
Since the 1990s, there has been a remarkable rise in the rate of those who work as non-regular workers after leaving school. This paper is aimed to establish 1) whether those whose first jobs are as non-regular workers have reduced opportunities for training and growth compared to those whose first jobs are as regular workers, and, 2) if so, whether they are later granted the opportunity to work as regular workers. We conducted quantitative analysis based on micro data obtained from workers, focusing particularly on the first three years of the first job.
Experiences at work that lead to growth, such as finding one’s role model, feeling a sense of achievement and that the job suits them, etc., encourages the worker to develop a career outlook. Substantial training in the first three years of the first job has the effect of inducing such experiences, regardless of whether the worker is a regular or non-regular worker. Overall, however, those whose first jobs are as non-regular workers have less chances to receive off-the-job training, and therefore less chances for training as a whole, regardless of when they started working.
This does not mean that working as a non-regular worker on the first job has a conclusively negative effect on one’s career. Some non-regular workers are granted a considerable amount of training, both on and off the job, while some regular workers receive neither. Not only are non-regular workers working in environments providing sufficient training opportunities afforded experiences that lead to growth; some of them proceed to work as regular workers.
These observations suggest that even those working as non-regular workers on their first jobs can, by choosing a workplace providing sufficient training, mitigate potential restrictions on career development. Companies, in turn, should acknowledge the effect training in the first three years of a worker’s first job has on the development of his or her career, and seek to provide a working environment in which such training is encouraged.
