Experts estimate that as of December last year, 590,000 people who have lost their jobs are not looking for a job because of the spread of the infection while the effects of the new coronavirus continue. I understand.

It is not included in the unemployed people announced by the government, and experts point out that "the public support may not have been sufficiently received and it is necessary to grasp the actual situation."

According to a labor force survey by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the number of unemployed people in December last year was 1.94 million, an increase of 490,000 from the same month of the previous year, and the unemployment rate was 2.9%.



A "totally unemployed person" is a person who is unemployed and who was able to work immediately if he had a job and was doing "job hunting" to find a job.



On the other hand, even if they wish to get a new job, it seems that many people are not included in the "totally unemployed" because they refrain from "job hunting" due to the spread of infection.

For this reason, Professor Yuji Genda of the University of Tokyo, who specializes in labor economics, defined these people as "stopping work" and analyzed and calculated national statistical data.



According to it, it was found that the number of people who are "stopped working" is estimated to be 590,000 as of December last year.



This is about 30% of the 1.94 million unemployed people in December last year.



It seems that many of the people in the "stop working" state were working in non-regular employment, and Professor Genda said that ▽ elderly people who gave up job hunting due to fear of infection, and ▽ schools and nursery schools have closed. It is pointed out that many women have stopped looking for a job because it may be difficult to leave their children.



National support measures are often targeted at the unemployed and on leave, which means that support may not be sufficient.

Professor Genda said, "The predicament of the elderly and women who are unable to even find a job due to anxiety about infection cannot be grasped by looking only at the unemployment rate figures. There is a problem that the support for the unemployed and the unemployed is not received because it has not been recognized yet. Since there is a risk of being socially isolated and cornered, the actual situation and support measures should be taken immediately. We should proceed with the examination. "

Women raising children

While it is uncertain when the infection with the new coronavirus will be resolved, women raising children say that it is difficult to work even if they want to work.



A 35-year-old woman lives with her husband, a 10-year-old eldest daughter, an 8-year-old eldest son, and a 1-year-old second son.

As a freelance photographer, I undertook filming for schools and weddings and earned about 60,000 yen a month, but I haven't had any jobs since March last year due to the spread of the infection.



Women began looking for part-time jobs around last summer in an attempt to find a job.

However, what hesitates to apply is that we do not know when children's schools and daycare centers will be closed or closed as the infection continues to spread.



Since June last year, local governments where women live have taken measures to close schools for up to two weeks for disinfection and follow-up if infections of faculty members and children are confirmed.



Currently, I want to avoid school closures and park closures as much as possible, but I want to make decisions according to the situation.



The woman thought that she couldn't say "I can work" at the hiring interview, as the elementary school and nursery school where her three children attend may suddenly be closed for a long period of time.



We also searched for home-based work jobs that could make use of experience such as video editing, but in each case, experience at a company or vocational school was a condition for application.



So I thought about going to a vocational school and acquiring web design skills and knowledge.



However, in July last year, at a vocational school briefing session, there was an explanation that "in principle, it is a condition that you can attend every day."



In addition, the person in charge of Hello Work said, "Having children may be a disadvantage in interviews at vocational schools."



For this reason, the household budget continues to be difficult, but it means that they have given up working and are refraining from job hunting activities looking for a job.



When I had income, women bought all the school supplies and clothes for their children and paid a part of the rent.



Right now, she manages to withdraw her husband's income and savings, but he says he hesitates to buy more underwear and a pencil for his child.



The woman said, "It's really hard because I don't have my own income. I used to say that I wanted a child when I found a cute stationery, but now I don't say it because of the situation at home. I want to work from home so that I can work, but I haven't set it at the starting line yet. I want to work immediately, but I'm really stressed and anxious that there is no way to do it. " I am.

Women who feel anxious about their future lives

A 74-year-old woman living in Tokyo started working as a helper after her husband died about 10 years ago, and earned about 100,000 yen every month.



However, due to the spread of the new coronavirus, I was worried that if I continued to work as a helper, I would become infected myself, and as a result, I would infect users, which could be fatal. It means that he retired in the month.



Since then, I haven't been looking for a job because of the spread of the infection, and I'm living with my husband's survivor's pension and my own pension for about 100,000 yen a month, withdrawing my savings.



He says that he is able to live somehow now because he owns a house, but his anxiety about his future life will not disappear.



The woman said, "Some older people who have quit their jobs like me have less chance to go out and tend to stay home or trip over the house and get injured. I'm fine now, but I'm old and I think I'll get sick in the future, so I'm worried that I'll run out of money when I need a lot of money for treatment. " I did.

Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare "Early Reemployment Support"

Hello Work is strengthening support such as online consultation because there is a possibility that many people are looking for a job due to anxiety about infection with the new coronavirus and refraining from job hunting.



According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the number of new job applications looking for new jobs decreased significantly in April and May last year of the previous state of emergency compared to the same period of the previous year, but it changed in June. And increased.



However, it has been on a downward trend since July, and last December was 301,488 cases, 4% lower than the same period of the previous year.



At Hello Work in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, there may be people who are refraining from job hunting due to anxiety about infection, so we are strengthening support for people who have difficulty coming to Hello Work, such as telephone and online consultation. about it.



Jun Kawamata, Director of the Employment Counseling Department at Hello Work Shibuya, said, "Since there are a certain number of people who are refraining from job hunting due to concerns about infection, I feel that there are many potential job seekers. The more motivated I am, the more likely I am to fall into a vicious circle, so I would like to support the resumption of job hunting activities. "



In addition, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said, "From the voices received from Hello Work, we understand that some people are refraining from job hunting due to anxiety about infection. First of all, we will thoroughly implement measures to prevent infection and work with peace of mind. At Hello Work, we would like to cultivate job offers based on various needs, such as being able to telework, and support early reemployment. "