The government has started a job-seeker support system from the beginning of October, under which unemployed people can receive allowances while undergoing vocational training. The new system will serve as the second safety net for workers, besides unemployment insurance. So far, if the period of unemployment insurance coverage were over or for unemployed people not covered by the insurance, the only recourse was receiving livelihood assistance or becoming on welfare.

Now irregular workers make up more than one third of the nation's work force. About a half of job seekers newly registered with public employment security offices (PESOs) are not covered by unemployment insurance. One third of the unemployed have been without jobs for more than one year. The number of people receiving livelihood assistance has topped 2 million and the total amount of such assistance surpassed ¥3 trillion in fiscal 2009. Under this situation, it is hoped that the new job-seeker support system stabilize the lives of irregular or unemployed workers and help them find permanent jobs.

Under the new system, a job seeker receives a monthly allowance of ¥100,000 and traffic expenses, and undergoes vocational training in such fields as nursing-care services and information technology-related work for three to six months. A PESO employee works out a support program for each such job seeker. The job seeker must regularly go to the office for interviews to report development of their vocational training.