If someone has not looked for a job, they are considered out of the job market and not included in the numbers. The Underemployed Even taking the difference in measurements, one category that is not considered in these rates is the underemployed. During Japan s rapid post-war rise to economic star of the world, its lifetime employment system was heralded by many as a reason for this stellar performance. During its equally remarkable nine-year stagnation in the nineties, this system can be blamed for much of its problems. This has caused their operating results to worsen with their bloated payrolls of unproductive people.
Workers show up at the office every day with nothing to do.
They will read the newspaper, shuffle papers, or handle some meaningless busywork while the human resources division searches for a more productive job for them. During office hours, coffee shops and bookstores are filled with men in suits who fit this bill. By adding these functionally unemployed workers to the numbers of Japan s unemployment ranks would surely double the rate. As harsh as it may seem, these people need to be let go. Their benefit to the company has already run its course.