在日韓人의 구직과 네트워크의 역할 = The Socioeconomic Transformation of Koreans in Japan

국문 초록 (Abstract)

본 연구는 오사카 대도시권의 재일한인의 구직행위를 통하여 역동적인 네트워크의 실태를 분석하였다. 분석결과, 구직 네트워크는 가족, 친척, 동포의 지인과 같은 커뮤니티 내에서의 비공식적인 네트워크에의 강한 의존이 확인되는 반면, 그 정도는 남녀 및 세대에 따라 상이하였다. 특히 여성이나 신세대에서는 커뮤니티를 넘어 선 공식적인 네트워크가 확장되고 있다. 이는 교육수준의 향상과 같은 단순한 개인의 수준에서의 변화 뿐 아니라, 일본사회의 제도적인 규제완화에 의해 촉진된다. 따라서, 재일한인의 경제는 점점 정주국인 일본사회로 뿌리내려가고 있다고 할 수 있다. 이와 같은 정주 소수민족 집단의 네트워크를 파악하기 위해서는, 동포 네트워크에의 강한 의존이라는 일방적인 시각에서 벗어나 네트워크의 다양성과 역동성에 대한 고려가 요구된다.

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This article illustrates how job search networks are diverse and transformative in an ethnic community. It concerns the extent to which Korean networks for job searches are embedded in their social relations, and at the same time considers formal networks beyond co-ethnics. The research is based on a questionnaire survey of the Korean community in the Osaka metropolitan area conducted by the author in 1998. Unlike new immigrants, recently the legal status of established Koreans in Japan has been changed to a category called "special permanent residents." They are, however, basically treated within the same legal framework of policies toward foreigners in Japan. Findings from this study indicate that for some subgroups economic action is deeply embedded in co-ethnic informal networks, while for other subgroups it is not so deep. That is, the extent differs tend to rely strongly on family ties. They are mostly male family members whose self-employed status evolved through generational succession. These findings also show that many employees gravitate toward co-ethnic companies, and most of them rely on relatives and ethnic ties. These employment tendencies have allowed the establishment of an ethnic economy. On the other hand, it was found that women and younger generations rely less on co-ethnic networks and instead rely more on formal networks. Therefore, their occupations became more diverse and they tend to be less dependent on self-employment. The implication is that their networks are geared toward a wider society or social space. These various networks result in different outcomes in employment. The divergence and transformation in job networks can be explained by their better education as well as the institutional relaxation of discrimination against foreign employees. Thus it seems likely that the economic life of the Korean community will gradually become embedded in wider Japanese society. The conclusions suggest that networks for job search can very over time, can change differentialy for different segments of the resident community, and therefore can have disparate effects on embeddedness. These empirical findings show that it is necessary to consider the network dynamics in order t understand the forms of socioeconomic adaptation and mobility. The findings also have implications for the trajectory of other immigrant incorporation into the host society.