Two major business lobbies asked the government Tuesday to help create career centers to help boost employment among the young.

Hiroshi Okuda, chairman of the Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren), and Nobuo Yamaguchi, chairman of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, asked economic minister Takeo Hiranuma to establish new career centers to help provide younger people with job placement, counseling and training.

The centers should be based in each region and managed by local industries and local governments, the two business leaders said.

Industrial circles, educators and the government should work together to promote internships and trial employment targeting students, they said.

They also suggested that the government and the private sector cooperate in providing information on job opportunities.

They urged the government to review existing subsidies in employment insurance projects and scrap policies deemed ineffective.

Their proposals include a suggestion that career education be enhanced from the elementary school level in a bid to promote youths' desire for employment and their job capability.

Such measures would work to enhance existing efforts in the private sector to create jobs for youths and eliminate mismatches between jobs that youths want and jobs that employers want to provide, according to the two groups.

Hiranuma, head of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, last month asked the two business leaders to propose ways to boost employment.

METI is also working on employment-boosting measures with other government organizations and ministries, including the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry, and the Cabinet Office.

The number of part-time workers jumped to 1.93 million in 2000 from 1.01 million in 1992.