Will part-time jobs become "preparatory schools for job hunting"?

Research Organization: Dentsu Inc. Wakamon Research Subjects: 200 university/graduate students nationwide Research Period: September 2023 *Percentage composition (%) is rounded to the second decimal place, so totals may not always add up to 100%.

Over the past month, more than 90% of students worked part-time jobs, and approximately 40% juggled two or more part-time jobs. Since the survey period included summer vacation, juggling multiple part-time jobs was more common compared to typical periods.

Food service jobs accounted for about half of the main part-time jobs, while education-related jobs like cram school instructors/private tutors made up 26%. Within food service, chain cafes and fast-food restaurants accounted for about 30% of all part-time jobs.

 

Are Part-Time Jobs Becoming "Prep Schools for Job Hunting"?

Dentsu Inc. Wakamon conducted "Tsugikuru" workshops with students. Let's see how students envisioned the "next form of part-time work."

[Worksheet Overview]
Amidst reduced social interaction due to the pandemic, the value of meeting people not only of the same age but also from different generations has increased. Part-time jobs, previously valued mainly for pay and flexible hours, may now be increasingly seen as "places to meet people outside one's immediate circle."

Gakuchika is an abbreviation for "what you focused on during your student years," a term frequently asked on job application entry sheets.

【Worksheet Overview】
For students choosing part-time jobs that consume significant time, earning money efficiently has traditionally been a top priority. However, going forward, gaining experiences beneficial for one's future will become an equally important factor in selecting part-time work. Eventually, job postings may start highlighting not just compensation, but also the specific experiences one can gain through the work.

Through Tsugikuru's "The Future of Part-Time Work" workshop, two major trends emerged when considering future hypotheses.

One trend is the growing emphasis on people, with part-time jobs increasingly seen as "places to build relationships across generations." Due to the pandemic, current students often faced restrictions on extracurricular activities like clubs, study abroad, and volunteering from the start of their studies. Additionally, part-time work was impacted by reduced hours, closures, and layoffs in the food service industry, limiting where they could work and reducing opportunities to engage with communities of different ages and backgrounds.

Consequently, it became difficult for them to expand their world by making friends and acquaintances outside school communities or to confront their own futures by listening to people of different generations. Given this situation, as conditions return to pre-pandemic times, part-time work now carries greater significance than ever before as a place for building relationships.

Another factor is the growing perception of part-time work as a place to gain experiences that connect to one's future. Similar to the first background, restrictions on extracurricular activities meant fewer opportunities for experiences outside of school. Consequently, during the job hunting season for the generation that experienced student life during the pandemic, it became a topic of discussion that there were fewer episodes to share under "what you focused on during your student years" (commonly known as "gakuchika").

This trend suggests that the value of experiences gained through part-time work is rising compared to before, and the aspect of being "a place where one can gain more meaningful experiences" is becoming increasingly important.

A Circle Up survey investigated the key points students prioritize when choosing part-time jobs, yielding the following results.

Regarding the main part-time job, "human relationships/atmosphere" ranked second, indicating the growing importance of community within part-time work.

For side jobs, "interesting work content/future applicability" is prioritized more than in main jobs, while fewer people selected "human relationships/atmosphere."

It's likely that more people will start choosing their main part-time job based on the community they want to be part of, while selecting their side jobs based on the experience they want to gain for their future, working both simultaneously.

Considering these two trends—"places to build relationships across generations" and "places to gain experience for the future"—the next form of part-time work may shift away from being purely efficient money-making opportunities. Instead, it could evolve into places where one gains relationships and experiences relevant to their future, essentially becoming a "prep school for job hunting."

Part-time work also creates hiring opportunities for companies

Next, let's consider what business opportunities might emerge as part-time work evolves into a "prep school for job hunting."

From a corporate perspective, industries requiring teamwork or those presenting job openings in such a way may see increased demand. Furthermore, internship-style part-time jobs that allow students to utilize their academic fields or gain practical experience close to future careers may become more sought after.

Furthermore, industry-academia collaboration-based part-time jobs, such as joint research or university spin-offs, could emerge as new employment models. Companies could actively recruit students excelling in specific fields through the commercialization of university research, expand into areas where they lack research capacity, or expect new business creation driven by the unique perspectives of students.

For students, these opportunities offer the experience of realizing their academic fields as corporate projects. Engaging in projects with companies could also create communities they wouldn't encounter in typical seminars or labs.

On the other hand, as COVID-related restrictions ease, opportunities for study abroad and volunteer work will likely return. A growing desire for activities only possible with student schedules—including leisure pursuits—is also anticipated. How students allocate their finite time, and how their priorities shift between relationships, experiences, and compensation, will remain areas to watch closely.