

La inestabilidad laboral y económica de estos dificulta la formación de núcleos familiares estables, siendo uno de los varios motivos de la baja natalidad japonesa. El motivo puede ser la aversión a incorporarse al competitivo mundo laboral japonés, a engrosar las largas filas de salaryman, o simplemente la falta de empleo seguro, fenómeno creciente en Japón.

Este término describe la situación de un cierto grupo de jóvenes (entre los 15 y los 34 años) de la sociedad japonesa que, tras terminar sus estudios, trabajan en empleos a medio tiempo, precarios y breves, a menudo viviendo de sus padres o con ellos.
#Freeter adalah free
Freeter (フリーター Furiitaa?) es un neologismo acuñado hacia 1987-1988, y compuesto por la palabra inglesa free (libre) o freelance y la alemana Arbeiter (trabajador).In the 1990s and 2000s, the term switched to a negative connotation and Freeters were seen as burdens on society. In the 1980s, the term was seen in a positive light signifying the freedom to explore other alternative options for employment for fun when the economy in Japan was prosperous with many different job opportunities. The meaning of the term switched connotations from positive to negative after the economic bubble of the Japanese economy broke resulting in a recession in the 1990s.
#Freeter adalah full
This term was coined by part-time job magazine From A editor Michishita Hiroshi in 1987 and was used to depict a "free" worker that worked less hours, earned pay hourly instead of a monthly paycheck like regular full time workers, and received none of the benefits of a regular full time worker (holiday pay, sick pay, bonus pay, paid leave). As German (along with English) was used in Japanese universities before World War II, especially for science and medicine, arubaito became common among students to describe part-time work for university students. Arubaito is a Japanese loanword from Arbeiter, and perhaps from Arbeit ("work"). The word freeter or freeta is thought to be a portmanteau of the English word free (or perhaps freelance) and the German word Arbeiter ("labourer"). These people do not start a career after high school or university, but instead earn money from low-paid jobs.

Freeters may also be described as underemployed.
