It some kind of a freelancer. Young japanese who don't want to get into the system (regular position in a company) work part time or do small jobs.

It's a contraction of free and arbeiter (which comes from the german word arbeit= work)

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Note added at 15 mins (2005-02-25 18:13:27 GMT)
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Furita(\"Permanent\" part-timers)
The number of high-school and university graduates who earn a living through part-time work--labeled furita--is rising. According to estimates by the Japan Institute of Labor, in 1982 there were 520,000 furita (defined as people under 35 years old, excluding homemakers and students, who hold only part-time jobs). That number has risen rapidly, to 900,000 in 1992 and 1.35 million in 1997.
The word furita, which is an abbreviated version of two loan words--furi (free) and arubaita (from the German Arbeiter)--first entered popular usage at the time of the economic bubble. It referred to people who were not tied down by corporate loyalty or office regulations, worked when they wanted to, and quit their jobs if they did not like them.
A JIL survey revealed that furita today can be divided into three main types: those who have no clear future career plans; those who are pursuing a dream in, for example, music or a craft; and those who wanted a full-time job but failed to find one.
The sharp increase in furita has been prompted by the difficult employment situation facing young people--labeled the \"super ice age.\" As of February 1, the percentage of university students hoping to enter the job market this spring who had already secured full-time employment stood at 81.6%, the lowest share ever. Of the 532,000 people who graduated in spring 1999, 106,000 have neither moved on to a full-time job nor continued their studies--five times as many as 10 years ago.
Some point to changes in the employment structure. As the working population ages, middle-aged and older workers are holding onto the jobs that might otherwise have gone to younger people, and corporate restructuring is increasingly turning full-time positions into part-time posts.
Young people\'s attitudes toward work are also changing. The share of university students hoping to find full-time work has fallen to 66.4% (as of February 2000). An increasing number of young people are ignoring traditional labor customs, such as staying with one employer for the duration of their careers; according to Ministry of Labor statistics 70% of middle-school graduates, 50% of high-school graduates, and 30% of university graduates change jobs within three years of entering their first company.
While some analysts contend that furita are full members of the labor market who are bringing mobility and dynamism to a stagnant Japanese society, others fear the social effects of the furita phenomenon in such areas as the pension system. As the number of furita rises, the number of people paying into the employees\' pension scheme decreases, and the number of people who should but do not pay into the basic national pension plan increases due to low incomes.
This situation has prompted some high schools, anxious about their students\' increasingly becoming furita, to transform career-guidance into \"furita-prevention.\" The controversy surrounding furita looks set to continue for the foreseeable future

http://www.fpcj.jp/e/shiryo/pg/2000/00-05.html

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Note added at 2 hrs 1 min (2005-02-25 19:59:39 GMT)
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Anyway the term being so specific to Japanese culture, I\'d keep it with a translation like the one Daisuke gave in parenthesis.

Believe or not, see the site which says it is a Japanese-English-German conglomeration.

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Note added at 2 days 12 hrs 7 mins (2005-02-28 06:05:33 GMT)
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Note to add: Maria, the \"jkai\" website is useful. You can depend on it with usual care.
Meanwhile, I find your website useful and loving. Regards.

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Note added at 3 days 3 hrs 37 mins (2005-02-28 21:35:37 GMT)
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Correction: \"Free arbeiter\" as described in the website.