First Graders Dream of Being Bakers and Police Officers in 2022
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A survey asked 4,000 children about to enter elementary school what job they would like to do when they grow up. At 14.6%, the most popular profession overall was pâtissier or baker. When compared to the ranking twenty years ago, it can be seen that occupations related to people’s lives and safety have climbed the ranking, including police officer in second place, firefighter or rescue worker in fourth place, and doctor in fifth place. The survey was conducted by Kuraray, which manufactures synthetic leather for school bags.
Top Ten First Graders’ Dream Jobs
| 2022 | 2002 | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pâtissier or baker | Athlete |
| 2 | Police officer | Pâtissier or baker |
| 3 | Athlete | Florist |
| 4 | Firefighter or rescue worker | Nurse |
| 5 | Doctor | Teacher |
| 6 | Celebrity, singer, or model | Carpenter or artisan |
| 7 | Driver (of buses, trains, etc.) | Celebrity, singer, or model |
| 8 | TV star or anime character | Police officer |
| 9 | YouTuber | Firefighter or rescue worker |
| 9 | Florist | Doctor |
Created by Nippon.com based on a Kuraray annual survey.
As 26.4% of girls chose pâtissier or baker, it has now been the top choice for them for 24 years in a row since the survey began. Meanwhile, at fourth and fifth respectively, doctor and police officer placed the highest on record yet in the survey. At 16.8%, boys once more rated police officer their dream job, after it came top for the first time ever last year. Researcher, which placed fifth, showed a slow rise in popularity and YouTuber also climbed, reaching a record high rating in sixth place.
First Grade Girls’ Dream Jobs
| 2022 | 2002 | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pâtissier or baker | Pâtissier or baker |
| 2 | Celebrity, singer, or model | Florist |
| 3 | Florist | Nurse |
| 4 | Doctor | Teacher |
| 5 | Police officer | Celebrity, singer, or model |
| 6 | Nursery school teacher | Nursery school teacher |
| 7 | Nurse | Beautician |
| 8 | Teacher | Doctor |
| 9 | Worker at ice-cream shop | Music teacher |
| 10 | Beautician | Pet shop worker or pet groomer |
Created by Nippon.com based on a Kuraray annual survey.
First Grade Boys’ Dream Jobs
| 2022 | 2002 | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Police officer | Athlete |
| 2 | Athlete | Carpenter or artisan |
| 3 | Firefighter or rescue worker | Police officer |
| 4 | Driver (of buses, trains, etc.) | Firefighter or rescue worker |
| 5 | Researcher | Driver (of buses, trains, etc.) |
| 6 | YouTuber | Pâtissier or baker |
| 7 | TV star or anime character | Doctor |
| 8 | Doctor | Chef |
| 9 | Pâtissier or baker | Toy shop worker |
| 10 | Carpenter or artisan | Pilot |
Created by Nippon.com based on a Kuraray annual survey.
Parents were also asked what jobs they would like their new first grade children to pursue. Those with girls ranked nurse (18.4%) highest, followed by public servant (15.3%), and doctor (8.2%). The top choice for parents of boys was public servant (24.1%), along with company worker (10.3%), and doctor (7.8%). With parents of both boys and girls rating public servant highly, it was an indication their dream is for their children to have secure jobs in the future.
Jobs that Parents Want Their First Grade Girls to Pursue
| 2022 | 2002 | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nurse | Nurse |
| 2 | Public servant | Public servant |
| 3 | Doctor | Nursery school teacher |
| 4 | Medical professional | Teacher |
| 5 | Pharmacist | Doctor |
| 6 | Company worker | Pharmacist |
| 7 | Nursery school teacher | Company worker |
| 8 | Teacher | Celebrity, singer, or model |
| 9 | Pâtissier or baker | Beautician |
| 10 | Beautician | Cabin attendant |
Created by Nippon.com based on a Kuraray annual survey.
Jobs that Parents Want Their First Grade Boys to Pursue
| 2022 | 2002 | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Public servant | Public servant |
| 2 | Company worker | Athlete |
| 3 | Doctor | Doctor |
| 4 | Athlete | Carpenter or artisan |
| 5 | Firefighter or rescue worker | Company worker |
| 6 | Police officer | Engineer |
| 7 | Engineer | Teacher |
| 8 | Researcher | Firefighter or rescue worker |
| 9 | Pharmacist | Pilot |
| 10 | Pilot/architect | Researcher |
Created by Nippon.com based on a Kuraray annual survey.
(Originally published in Japanese. Banner photo © Pixta)