Even though the customer is back ... November 2nd 19:00

The trigger for the interview was a poster of a butcher shop I saw in the shopping district.

"Notice of change of business days due to lack of manpower"

It was an announcement that the number of business days of the store would be greatly shortened, and it would be only three days, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Moreover, I was surprised that the reason was written as "due to lack of manpower".

A strong sense of danger conveyed from the poster.

What the hell is going on?

I walked around town and searched.

(Fukuoka Broadcasting Station Reporter Shuntaro Hayakawa)

Urgent recruitment!

job openings on the rise

I found the poster in the Nishijin area of ​​Fukuoka City.

Compared to Nakasu and Tenjin, it is an area that is not well known nationwide, but it is a place where many Fukuoka citizens know about shopping streets and restaurants.

Perhaps this store is not the only one facing a labor shortage.

With that in mind, I walked around this area with a crew of reporters at 7:00 pm on October 17th.

A shop bustling with local shoppers.

I heard the shouts of "Kanpai" from the restaurant.

Some of the restaurants were full of office workers on their way home from work.

Recently, coupled with the decrease in the number of people infected with the new coronavirus, I feel that Fukuoka's economy is picking up.

However, when I walked around the door and walls of the store, there were leaflets such as "Urgent recruitment of staff" and "Recruitment of full-time employees".

It turns out that there are quite a lot of stores that are looking for labor while economic activity is heading for normalization.

Champon store with reduced night hours

After walking for a while, I saw a shutter in the dark, and there was a poster there as well.

My hunch is right.

Even this champon specialty restaurant wrote down the reason for the lack of staff and informed them that there were days when they could not open in the evening.

She called the store the next day and was told she would be available during daylight hours.

She arrived at lunch time.

There was a line outside the store.

The standard menu is "Nagasaki champon (880 yen)"

rising steam.

Office workers and local residents silently slurp their noodles.

I couldn't resist the appetizing aroma and tried it myself, but the Champon, which is particular about being additive-free, had a gentle taste and was full of volume.

In the kitchen, the owner, Mr. Shuichi Nagae, was busy shaking the pot, and the two staff members, a part-time woman and a student, were busy working.

It's a popular local restaurant with 100 people coming to the store just for lunch when it's busy.

Despite this, there were days when evening hours (6:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.) were not possible.

A labor shortage is a drag on sales growth.

Around lunchtime, I asked the owner, Mr. Nagae, why.

If you ask me, it seems that the veteran staff who had been working for 8 years quit two months ago.

The trigger is the infection of the new corona.

He hoped that he would come back when his condition improved, but he quit his job because he was not feeling well.

In order to acquire new staff, we are recruiting at an hourly wage of 900 yen or more, but it is difficult to make sure that there are three people in the daytime. rice field.

Nagae lamented, ``I've received complaints from customers, and I want to do something about it.

Labor shortage nationwide

The labor shortage is not limited to Fukuoka, but is spreading nationwide.

According to a September survey by Teikoku Databank, a private research firm, 50% of the companies answered that they were facing a shortage of full-time employees.

It was 30% for "non-regular employees" such as part-time workers.

Of these, when looking at non-regular employees by industry, nearly 80% of them are in a state of labor shortage in "restaurants", which is conspicuously high compared to other industries.

Restaurants 77%

Inns and hotels 62%

Various retailers 57%

The percentage of companies that answered that they had a labor shortage has continued to rise since May 2020, immediately after the spread of the infection.

According to a person in charge of a credit research company, "The upward trend is expected to continue even after September, and for the time being, we cannot predict when the labor shortage will ease."

Why does the labor shortage continue?

A shortage of workers, especially at restaurants.

what is in the background

Hisashi Yamada, chief researcher at the Japan Research Institute, who is familiar with the field of labor, gave two reasons why Japan is facing the coronavirus crisis.

One of the reasons is that seniors who avoid the risk of infection do not return.

Hisashi Yamada, Senior Researcher at the Japan Research Institute,

“Probably the main reason is that the working environment has changed considerably before and after Corona. This is a little slow to return. Corona is not completely contained, so I think the way of thinking about safety is changing."

Another major reason is said to be the decrease in the number of foreign workers.

Hisashi Yamada, Chief Researcher of the Japan Research Institute

“Another big thing is that before Corona, there were a lot of foreign workers in Japan. Reopening has begun, but the speed of entry into the country is extremely slow.Therefore, although restaurants and other businesses have resumed operations, the labor supply is tight.Furthermore, when looking at foreign workers, wages in Japan are low. Wages in Asian countries have risen considerably, so there is a possibility that foreigners will not come in at the usual pace, especially for field jobs. Sex is coming out.”

The key is "wage increase"?

What are the people who used to work at restaurants and such who have quit doing now?

Are you getting another job remotely or something?

In that regard, there is still little analysis of this problem, and it is difficult to clarify the cause of the labor shortage.

However, the phenomenon of workers who have left their jobs and do not return to their original jobs is also occurring overseas, including in the United States.

It is certain that the experience of the corona disaster has caused a change in the consciousness of the working side.

The lack of manpower is likely to become a deep-rooted problem.

Chief Researcher Yamada cites "wage increases" as one of the key words for solving the problem.

It is said that it is necessary to raise the hourly wage in order to attract the personnel indispensable to the operation of the store.

What will happen to wage increases as prices rise?

What will happen to the problem of labor shortages, which could limit the growth of companies, etc., as economic activity becomes more active after the corona crisis?

For the time being, the situation is likely to continue.

Fukuoka Broadcasting Station Reporter

Shuntaro Hayakawa After working at the Nagoya Station and the Economic Department, he will be

in charge of reporting on the regional economy and consumer life at

the Fukuoka Station from 2021 .