The government endorsed last month a plan to secure 300,000 permanent jobs for those in their mid-30s to mid-40s who fell victim to an "employment ice age" when they entered the job market, but some of them have cast doubt on its effectiveness and urged companies to change their hiring practices.

The plight of job seekers who struggled to find stable employment from the collapse of Japan's economic bubble in the early 1990s through the early 2000s mainly stems from major Japanese firms' practice of hiring new university graduates en masse, with economic conditions at the time greatly affecting the chance of landing a job, according to labor experts.

The unique system has long served as a backbone for lifetime employment and a seniority-based wage system. Japanese companies curb recruitment during economic downturns so as to safeguard their employees' positions, leaving new job seekers facing an uphill battle to get a secure position.

A significant number of people in the age bracket, also called the "lost generation," have been working part-time or on contract. Their incomes are typically low, making it difficult for them to marry and have children.

A man in his early 40s living near Tokyo believes that due to his age, he will not be able to find a better, permanent job, even if he tries.

"The biggest problem is the system under which securing employment is difficult for those who are over 30 but without job experience and skills that match their ages," the man said, describing his generation as having "tumbled" into the employment ice age.

There were 16.89 million people in Japan aged between 35 and 44 -- the cohort comprising the generation -- in 2018, according to government data.

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Among them, 3.71 million worked on a nonregular basis, although 500,000 of them had wanted regular positions, and some 400,000 were not in employment or engaged in household labor or studies, against 9.16 million holding regular positions.

The man, a graduate of Tokyo's prestigious Gakushuin University, started his career at an auto parts maker in 2001. Following the 2008 global financial crisis triggered by the collapse of the U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., the company first laid off nonregular workers, including Brazilians of Japanese descent.

He was then transferred from a post in charge of accounting to a production line, before eventually being dismissed at age 31 in 2009.

Learning bookkeeping skills while searching for a new job, he found a post at a golf driving range operator in 2010. But he was discharged after a few months as he did not have the practical experience of bookkeeping the firm was seeking.

Then, he "fortunately" found a job at a public entity and held onto the position for nearly a decade.

Hideo Kumano, executive chief economist at Dai-ichi Life Research Institute, pointed out that the difficulties faced by the employment ice age generation have boosted the number of low-income households.

Regular workers earn an average of 1.92 times more than nonregular workers among those in early 40s, compared with a gap of 1.29 times for those in their early 20s, he said, citing a government survey.

Government officials admitted the newly approved step is not just meant to improve the incomes of this generation but also tackle Japan's serious labor shortage due to its rapidly aging population. To deal with the issue, the country opened its doors to more foreign workers by launching a new visa system in April.

If members of the generation remain unable to find full-time work and thus do not generate sufficient tax revenue, there could be a serious impact on the country's social security system, including the public pension system and welfare benefits, the officials said.

But Yusuke Shimoda, senior economist at the Japan Research Institute, said that if the government merely attempts to utilize those who have been "deserted" for a long time to cover, regardless of the workers' preferences, the labor shortage in such sectors as nursing care, known for lower pay and demanding working conditions, the plan will not prove beneficial for them.

Critics say the government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe suddenly brought out support measures for the employment ice age generation to appeal to voters ahead of the House of Councillors election slated for July 21. The issue had long been one championed by opposition parties rather than Abe's Liberal Democratic Party.

"If the government really wants to support 300,000 people, it has to oblige corporations to hire them and provide subsidies," said the Gakushuin University graduate, who declined to be named.

The government plans to set up special consultation centers for people in the ice age generation at job-placement offices, offer training programs and strengthen incentives for companies to hire them by utilizing subsidies.

A 46-year-old nonregular worker in Osaka also said he believes the government's plan is unlikely to bear fruit as many Japanese companies want to recruit younger people and are reluctant to employ those who are over 40.

Working for several companies in Tokyo between 1997 and 2004 on a regular contract, he returned to his hometown in western Japan to take care of his mother who was suffering from lung cancer and started working on a nonregular basis.

"If you give up regular employment, it is really difficult to return to that path," said the worker, who also asked not to be named.

Japan Research Institute's Shimoda, 39, who also belongs to the generation, warned the issue is sensitive and has to be dealt with carefully as many in the generation remain distressed.

"My point is that it is necessary to provide support depending on each individual's wish, rather than just securing regular posts uniformly," said the economist, adding improving labor conditions of nonregular workers through wage hikes and other measures is also needed.

Local governments, meanwhile, are taking their own steps to help members of this generation find stable employment.

The western Japan city of Takarazuka has decided to provide regular administrative staff posts open only to candidates from the generation, with three people expected to be hired in January.

The Aichi prefectural government, central Japan, has introduced a similar recruitment system.

(Takahiro Izui contributed to this report.)