What is Reskilling?
Can I do it during maternity leave?
January 31, 19:05
Wouldn't reskilling for those on childcare leave lead to career advancement?
Such a debate in the Diet was criticized one after another on SNS.
Reskilling
is often translated as "
Who will take care of the baby during that time?"
Who does it and why?
*Click on the table of contents to jump to that item
Can I study again during maternity leave?
“I felt that childcare leave was the least suitable period for reskilling,”
says Ai Inoue, who is raising a 4-year-old daughter.
She didn't even have time to sleep right after giving birth, she says.
Ms. Inoue, who says she is a memo freak, kept a minute-by-minute record of her daughter's childcare when she was 0 years old.
For example, if you show me the first day of her 28th day after giving birth...
02:55 Wake up
03:05 Breast milk (11 minutes to the right)
03:35 Milk 50cc
04:05 Breast milk (2 minutes to the right) 04:25 Peeing
04:40 Milking
20cc
05:20 Milking 40cc
05:40 Peeing,
pooping 05:45 Breastfeeding (right 2 minutes)
06:05 Sleep (7:00 I get up)
09:10 Daughter wakes up
09:30 Breastfeeding (right 6min)
09:40 Breastfeeding (right 7min)
10:10 Pee, poo
11: 30 Milking 10cc
12:05 Milking 60cc
12:15 Peeing
12:25 Sleeping
13:00 Waking up
13:05 Breastfeeding (5 minutes left)
13:30 Sleeping
14:15 Waking up
14:25 Breastfeeding (4 minutes right)
14:35 Peeing
14:40 Sleep
16:50 Wake up
16:55 Breast milk (left 4 minutes)
17:10 Breast milk (right 4 minutes)
17:35 Pee, poo
18:05
Pee 18:20 Bath
18:45 Breast milk (left 4 minutes)
19 :20 Peeing
19:45 Breastfeeding (Right 5 minutes)
20:05 Sleeping
22:10 Wake up
22:10 Breastfeeding (left 7 minutes)
22:35 Milk 50cc
22:45 Milking 20cc
22:55 Sleep
02:20 Wake up
Continue to the next day...
These days continued, and it seems that it was especially hard for the baby not to sleep for more than 3 hours in a row, and the sleep time became fragmented.
Ms. Ai Inoue
“Before I had a child, I thought that raising a child would be so difficult. I wasn't resting at all."
I got a qualification, but I don't want my daughter to do it
We also spoke with a woman who obtained her qualification while on maternity and childcare leave.
Thirteen years ago, while she was on maternity leave, she started studying to be a judicial scrivener while she was working as a generalist at a major company.
Before she gave birth, she studied about nine hours a day.
After giving birth, she put the baby to sleep and nursed her while she held a textbook in her other hand and continued her studies, literally "sleeping away".
A woman who passed the exam the following year.
But she recently tweeted that she looked back on those days.
"I was on maternity leave. I got the certification because I was so impatient, but now I really regret it.
"
She continues her treatment even now.
She also said that shortly after returning to her job, she was working short hours and her annual income had dropped significantly.
She has now moved to another company and is working with the knowledge of her credentials, but she says she doesn't want the climate to force reskilling.
"I think people who can do it should do it. But I feel like I missed the cute moment of my newborn daughter, and I regret that I got sick. I don't want my daughter to feel the same way."
Superwoman might be able to do it, but...
Reskilling during maternity leave and childcare leave, which many women say is difficult.
What do experts see?
Hosei University Professor Emiko Takeishi, who is familiar with women's career
development. It would be nice, but in reality, I think only a few people like superwomen can do it.
” It is understandable that the government will support reskilling itself because it will be funny because it will be taken up and discussed.”
Reskilling attracting attention from domestic companies
There is some debate about whether or not you should do this during maternity leave, but the term “reskilling” has become a common word these days.
In fact, there is a growing movement among domestic companies to strengthen their efforts.
According to a survey conducted by Teikoku Databank last year targeting large companies and small and medium-sized companies, about 50% of companies responded that they were working on reskilling.
(Response 11434 companies, last September survey)
However, some experts point out that the specific meaning of reskilling has not been decided yet.
We asked Neiko Oshima, a senior researcher at Recruit Works Institute, who is researching reskilling.
Q1.What is reskilling in the first place?
A1.In the background of reskilling, there is concern that human jobs will disappear due to the advancement of digitalization, and that there will be a large number of unemployed people.
At our research institute, we say that "learning new skills so that you can transition to a new job, and practicing and transitioning", but in fact the definition of reskilling is not so fixed.
Q2.Does reskilling lead to an increase in wages?
A2. It might be better to say that wages do not fall rather than increase.
In order to get the same wage as the current job may disappear, it means to acquire the newly required skills.
Also, in the Japanese labor market, even if you have only the skills, you will not be hired unless you have practical experience.
It is important not only to learn, but also to create a set of places for practice, even if it is little by little.
Q3. I also feel the pressure to do something.
A3.It is important to be aware of the need to keep up with changes, but in Japan there is limited information about what to learn and how it will be useful in your career.
If you just say to learn without any information, you'll feel uneasy.
I think that Japanese workers are very lonely because there are few places to consult about changing jobs.
For example, overseas, information such as what you can learn and how much you can earn is visualized.
There is also a system that shows you what skills you are lacking.
I think it is important to provide appropriate information so that workers are not isolated, and to create an environment where they can feel free to consult.
Q4. What should I do if I am interested?
A4.Reskilling is learning to respond to changes in society.
This is because translation tools may replace communication to some extent.
As for the fields that will be required in the future, I believe that digital technology has the highest potential for solving various problems.
Compared to before, it is now possible to learn at a cheaper price, and the price of software is also falling, making IT and digital technology accessible to everyone.
It might be a good idea to start with small things such as increasing your knowledge by linking yourself to the problems you are having.
(Interview team: Keiko Okumura, Kochi Bureau, Ayumi Yanagisawa, Yukie Kanazawa, Yutaro Ikeda, Network Press Department)