The government is encouraging unemployed people to become health care workers because there is a chronic shortage in the nursing care business. Do you think that is a good idea?

Tuesday 10th March, 08:23 AM JST

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telecasterplayer at 12:17 PM JST - 10th March

Well, is the govt also urging these people to get the proper training?
boitoi at 12:57 PM JST - 10th March

if the compensation is right and higher than the salaryman is earning, why not. i would consider career shifting.
DenTok2009 at 02:04 PM JST - 10th March

It's a good idea. I think the government must be offering some sort of tuition assistance. After all, you must be certified/licensed. I don't think it's a case of, "Hey, I can't get a job in banking/telecommunications/factories so I am applying to become a health care worker. When do I start?"
solarbuster at 02:12 PM JST - 10th March

They need to give workers at least a months work experience before pushing them into courses. Just pushing them in first is a waste of time and money because 60% won't be able to handle the stress related to caring work and will leave or make poor care workers.
seesaw at 04:15 PM JST - 10th March

The whole idea seems silly to me. Those unemployed people are not interested in the nursing job but would be doing it out of desperation. And that would lead to more future professional negligence at hospitals in Japan.
nisegaijin at 04:59 PM JST - 10th March

Yes. Diversion of labor is a good idea during tough times. As long as government involvement is limited to "advice" it's a good move in my book.
mark_in_japan at 06:36 PM JST - 10th March

First, they aren't health care workers in the sense most people would think of. They are nursing home helpers, basically: helping bathe bedridden people, emptying bed pans, etc. Second, it's a very bad idea because it allows the operators of nursing homes to continue to underpay these positions. These kind of helpers get paid barely more than convenience store workers and in the name of giving work to those who are without nursing home operators will continue to abuse these employees.
helloklitty at 07:47 PM JST - 10th March

Anything to get them off the dole.

What else would be better: rubbish collection?
Kalinikos at 07:57 PM JST - 10th March

I agree with smartacus...!

Helth care work is a vocation...!

Elderly people are the future of this nation, and not the childrens, this is a fact...!
ca1ic0cat at 08:34 PM JST - 10th March

If they can get a place in school and get the grades (without the curriculum being "dumbed down") then sure, let them become health professionals, if they choose to.

But, who is going to pay tuition and living expenses while they are in school? It's easy to say "do this," it's another thing to be able to afford the time away from work. I know I couldn't. And if I was unemployed tuition would be a non-starter.
soothsayer at 09:13 PM JST - 10th March

yep.
Badsey at 07:42 AM JST - 11th March

Actually they are health care workers = CNA or PCW. Japan's population is aging and more of these people are needed. Maybe if all health care workers (Doctors included) started at the bottom you would have better health care at the top?

Japan needs to encourage people to get jobs in areas that are needed. Even an out of work engineer may get motovated to do some innovation in this field by temp work.
kanadamanada at 12:54 PM JST - 11th March

Ah yes, anything to keep the immigrant hordes at bay. I guess Hitachi too will be upset that the government is going to shelve their elderly care robot design in favour of any down-on-his-luck-Taro.
Blue_Tiger at 04:34 PM JST - 11th March

Yes, it is a good idea. The work is readily available and hospitals and clinics are in a pretty bad situation. It is the samei n the USA.
OneForAll at 06:31 PM JST - 11th March

mark in Japan has it right.