By Maria Deutsch
The temporary staffing industry in Japan is beginning to feel the
effects of both the economic recovery and the greying society. While
companies demand more and more temporary workers, it is increasingly
difficult for staffing agencies to find people.
The companies’ demand focuses on four main areas: technical specialists
and engineering, manufacturing, international trade administration, and
retail. While companies also hire new graduates fresh our of university
and train them for their needs, they need experienced staff able to hit
the ground running as soon as possible. However, temporary staffing
agencies have not been able to ensure continuous supply of such workers.
In order to continue meeting the demands of their corporate customers,
staffing agencies have become innovative. As experienced workers rarely
choose to work for temporary staffing agencies, almost all agencies
offer training for inexperienced people. Such training ranges from
basic business manners to English for trade administration to
specialised technical or IT training.
Training for Inexperienced Hires
Experienced professionals will almost invariably prefer full-time,
so-called seishain positions with higher pay and better conditions over
temporary staffing. People who chose to make a living out of different
part-time jobs on the other hand, so-called ‘freeters’, often have
difficulties finding full-time employment when they look for it, as
they lack specialised experience and business-world common sense. Some
temporary staffing agencies capitalise on the high motivation of those
‘freeters’ seeking full-time employment, and offer temp-to-perm
opportunities for those who finish training successfully. While the
cost incurred to the staffing agencies may be higher in the short term,
in the long term they are able to satisfy their clients and earn
introduction fees when the client decides to take on a temporary worker
as full-time staff.
New ideas in temp staffing sector
Numerous temporary staffing agencies focus their efforts on fresh
university and high school graduates, both in big cities and in the
countryside. They offer training and the prospect to enter large and
famous companies through the back door.
Better Conditions for Women
Other agencies again focus on women who left the workforce to raise
children. Often highly qualified, many women choose to leave their
full-time jobs when they have babies because the workload and hours are
incompatible with raising a family. When they return to work they
demand flexibility, short hours, and childcare support. Temporary
staffing agencies respond to these demands in order to have women
register with and work for them. For example some agencies have teamed
up with kindergartens, and others offer short and flexible working
hours, starting from as little as three hours per day.
Another bait temporary staffing agencies use to attract workers is pay
and conditions. Both are significantly better for full-time, so-called
seishain employees than for irregular workers. Experienced
professionals therefore tend to choose such full-time positions. By
combining pay and conditions more or less equivalent to those for
seishain with a more flexible work schedule, temporary staffing
agencies hope to attract professionals who are wary of the treadmill
and long hours seishain have to put in.
Temps from Abroad
A third approach temporary staffing agencies are taking is to hire
staff from foreign countries. The Nihon Keizai Shinbun (Nikkei) has
been reporting on several companies opening subsidiaries in the U.S.,
India, China, South East Asia, and Eastern Europe. The companies look
for qualified professionals, train them in Japanese language and
culture, and if necessary in technology, and then send them to Japan to
work for manufacturers and IT companies.
Whatever strategies temporary staffing agencies adopt, with the surge
in demand problems other than lack of manpower surface. The Nikkei
newspaper reports that according to the competent supervisory authority
violations of the legal regulations governing temporary
employment have been rampant. Companies and staffing agencies alike
will need to ensure compliance with the law, otherwise their creativity
may backfire.
Further Reference:
“派遣労働で違反急増”.
Nihon Keizai Shinbun 20 July 2006, morning ed.
“派遣各社 主婦取り込み”.
Nihon Keizai Shinbun 19 July 2006, evening ed.
“正社員向け軸に合併効果”.
Nihon Keizai Shinbun 19 July 2006, morning ed.
“フリーターを正社員に”.
Nihon Keizai Shinbun 4 July 2006, evening ed.
Lucas, Louise, and Yuko Hara. “Japanese companies change ways to lure
more workers”.
The Financial Times 13 July 2006, Tokyo edition.
“研修→派遣事業も”.
Yomiuri Shinbun 26 June 2006, morning ed.
“米国人技術者を採用、派遣”.
Nihon Keizai Shinbun 20 June 2006, morning ed.
“人材サービス、中印で”.
Nihon Keizai Shinbun 1 June 2006, evening ed.
“貿易事務の派遣料金上昇”.
Nihon Keizai Shinbun 15 June 2006, morning ed.
“コンビニなどへ販売員派遣強化”.
Nihon Keizai Shinbun 30 May 2006, morning ed.
“接客の人材派遣”.
Nihon Keizai Shinbun 25 May 2006, morning ed.
“紹介予定派遣に参入”.
Nihon Keizai Shinbun 16 May 2006, morning ed.
“派遣人材、英語に強く”.
Nihon Keizai Shinbun 24 May 2006, morning ed.
“製造業に紹介予定派遣”.
Nihon Keizai Shinbun 16 May 2006, morning ed.
“技術者確保に躍起”.
Nihon Keizai Shinbun 9 May 2006, morning ed.
“パソナ、上海に子会社”.
Nihon Keizai Shinbun 8 May 2006, evening ed.
