At the start of the new fiscal year, Teikoku Databank Ltd. announced the results of a survey, conducted nationwide over the first three months of 2015, which found that over half of the firms across a number of sectors reported shortfalls of either regular or non-regular workers.
The results were based on 10,794 valid replies.
In descending order, with percentages of businesses so responding in brackets, firms with shortages of sei-shain (permanent staff) were data services (59.3%); construction firms (54.6%); retailers of pharmaceuticals and daily sundries (53.6%); broadcasters (53.3%); as well as hotels and ryokan (52.8%). The sector of “maintenance, security and inspection”, which rose to 10th place from far down the listing, is believed to be a result of expanded office building demand, reflecting favourably on Abenomics policies.
The top five business sectors reporting shortages of hi-sei-shain (non-permanent staff) were food and beverage services (55.0%); hotels and ryokan (54.3%); food and beverage retailers (53.9%); worker dispatch services (48.9%); and recreation and leisure services (48.3%).
The report also notes that about 10% of the business sectors surveyed reported an excess of workers, and that “the shortages can be expected to be alleviated” by those workers shifting to sectors with greater needs.