Work between housework and childcare!
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Spare time to save hot spring resorts with labor shortage March 9 12:42
"It's difficult to work for a full day, but I wish I could work even if it's only for a few hours."
Although they are motivated, they cannot freely choose their working hours for housework and childcare.
A local government in Niigata Prefecture has started a new initiative to match such troubled child-rearing generations with tourism operators who are understaffed.
This is how to use the "gap time" at the hot spring resort.
It's difficult for a long time, but if it's a "gap"...
"I had no choice but to quit my job due to the aftereffects of the new coronavirus."
"It is difficult to work long hours when raising children.
" was
Maki Miyajima, who lives with her husband and eldest daughter who is in the third year of high school.
Although her childcare has settled down a little, it was still difficult to work long hours, and she had a hard time finding the job she wanted.
Ms. Miyajima
: “I don’t get to spend a lot of time in a day.
Inspired by the voice of “I want to work in my spare time”
For people like Mr. Miyajima who have settled down to raise their children, even if they can't work all week, they still have a short period of time during the day, or "free time."
In response to the voices of these people, Yuzawa Town considered whether it was possible to utilize workers who wanted short hours, and in July last year opened a website for providing information on job vacancies and job seekers.
It is called "Yuzawa Matchbox", which allows you to use the app "in your free time" and "you can work for a short time".
This site is operated by a company in Niigata City commissioned by the town, and it is a mechanism that allows people who have registered as members to apply for a business office that meets their preferences based on conditions such as working hours, work content, and salary.
The town will only provide information on job vacancies and will not provide employment mediation, so those who wish to find a job will directly contact the office and sign an employment contract.
For Mr. Miyajima, who was worried about not being able to find a job, it was exactly what he wished for.
Mr. Miyajima
"I was thrilled when I found Matchbox. I could find what I hadn't been able to find for a long time, and I could go to work. I felt like I had exactly what I was looking for, so I registered immediately." "
``Tourist town'' suffering from labor shortage
Yuzawa, with a population of approximately 8,000, is about an hour from Tokyo by bullet train.
There is a hot spring area, and in winter, it is a tourist destination centered on skiing, and has been declared a tourist town.
According to the town, the annual number of tourists was around 4 million, but due to the influence of the new corona, it decreased significantly, and in the second year of Reiwa, it fell to 1.78 million.
Some lodging facilities have cut staff or left the tourism industry.
On the other hand, since the relaxation of border measures in October last year, foreign tourists have started to return, and now the number has recovered to about 80% before the spread of infection.
A serious problem was the lack of manpower.
According to the town, many inns and restaurants in the town are running out of workers.
Masayuki Tamura, Mayor of Yuzawa Town
“In the case of Yuzawa Matchbox, people who want workers as soon as possible and people who want to work can decide to hire them immediately after seeing the job vacancies. It's like getting money.In particular, there are cases where the child-rearing generation has time while their children are at school.
Same problem all over the country
The rapid increase in tourists is the same trend nationwide.
According to the Japan Tourism Agency's overnight travel statistics, the number of people who stayed at domestic hotels and inns continued to grow until the first year of Reiwa.
However, due to the influence of Corona, it has fallen significantly since Reiwa 2nd year.
The number of overnight guests last year was 453.97 million, an increase of 42.9% compared to the previous year, thanks to the recovery of inbound tourists due to the relaxation of border measures and support for nationwide travel.
Even ryokan inns and hotels nationwide that have reduced employees due to the corona crisis have not returned to work, and are suffering from a labor shortage.
According to the private credit research company Teikoku Databank, as of January this year, 77.8% of regular employees and 81.1% of non-regular employees answered that they were feeling a shortage of workers. I was.
Despite the recovery in demand for hotels and ryokans, there are also voices that the reception side is inadequate and the opportunity to make a profit is lost.
Use of free time can help solve the problem
Under these circumstances, "Yuzawa Matchbox" is helping solve the labor shortage in Yuzawa Town.
The ryokan in front of Echigo-Yuzawa Station on the Joetsu Shinkansen has already been fully booked this month.
Although they did not reduce the number of employees in anticipation of the post-corona era, it is said that there is a shortage of manpower.
HATAGO Isen Front Manager Mika Umezawa
"There are people who use cafes during the daytime as well as staying at the hotel, so there are quite a lot of customers there, and the staff is short. Before corona, it is a calm time in April. As I was told, there are a lot of reservations, so I'm wondering if I'll go to GW as it is."
Masumi Hoshino says she works during the busiest daytime hours, making the most of her spare time.
She has a husband and two children.
She was infected with Corona last November, but she was plagued by the aftereffects and had to quit the supermarket where she worked.
Although she recovered, she was still worried about working full-time, and her friend recommended Yuzawa Matchbox.
I soon found a job.
The working day is 2 hours from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm.
It is the work of weighing and packing rice for washing and souvenirs.
Masumi Hoshino
“There is a point that you can use the app with peace of mind just because it is a public product. The supermarket part is from 9:00 to 5:00. It's easy, it's great, and it's a lot of fun. It feels like I'm back in my youth."
Businesses who seek employment during busy hours and those who wish to work in their spare time.
They complement each other's needs.
Ms. Umezawa from HATAGO Isen
: "We're very helpful. Just having them come really makes all the difference. Even if it's only for a short time, we want to ask for your help, so we hope to continue working with Matchbox."
More than 700 workers using their spare time
According to the company that manages and operates "Yuzawa Matchbox", as of March 7, there are 755 workers and 64 companies registered as business establishments, and some people come to work in Yuzawa from outside the prefecture. There are many.
In addition, in response to Yuzawa Town's efforts, inquiries have been received from several other municipalities, mainly in Niigata Prefecture.
Expert ``It's an easy-to-understand mechanism to enter and work from the town site''
Chuo University professor Masahiro Abe, who also served as a member of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare's provision of employment information, said he had never heard of local governments conducting short-term job matching, and pointed out the following. I'm here.
Professor Masahiro Abe, Chuo University
: “In metropolitan areas, there are job openings for private businesses, but in places where private companies are not, it would be great if local governments were able to fill job openings within the town. It's easy to understand how people can enter and work from the town's website when they don't know what to do.When I look at the job openings, it seems that people are staying at part-time jobs, so if there is a path that leads to full-time employees, I would like to see public employment. I think we can find more significance for the institution to implement it.”
The ryokan and hotel industry is not the only one suffering from labor shortages.
According to a survey by Teikoku Databank, more than 50% of companies feel that they are short of workers.
How will we respond to pressing issues?
The case of Yuzawa Town seems to be one of the solutions that will enable people who could not work to work by creating an environment that allows for a variety of work styles.
(Good Morning Japan, Rio Ito, Network Press Department, Yu Suzuki, Midori Taniguchi)