According to Japanese media reports, May 15 is the 50th anniversary of the birth of convenience stores in Japan, but more than 10% of about 6,400 stores in Japan, which have always been sold 24 hours a day, are no longer open 24 hours a day.
According to a survey conducted by Kyodo News on six major convenience store companies in Japan, there were about 55,500 stores in Japan during the February~April period this year, of which about 6,400 were open on a short-term basis, accounting for 11.5%.
7-Eleven, the largest convenience store chain, said it had more than 200 more stores operating short-term than in FY2020. Lawson has also added about 100 stores.
Seicomart, the leader in the convenience store market in Hokkaido, has the highest percentage of stores that operate on short-term hours, at 87%. Lack of manpower is the main reason why major convenience stores have canceled their 24-hour operations.
In addition to convenience stores, the Large-Handle Beef Bowl Rice Bowl restaurant has expanded its recruitment and salaries to ensure 24-hour operation, and its operating costs have risen significantly.
From 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. the next day, 7% of the total amount of the meal will be added to the late-night fee, and a rice bowl will cost 30~50 yen more.
How serious is the shortage of manpower in Japan? According to the Tokyo Shoko Survey, there were 90 bankruptcies related to "shortage of manpower" in Japan during the January~April period this year, which is twice the number of the same period last year and the highest since the survey began in 2013.
From the perspective of specific reasons, there are 38 companies with "difficulty in seeking people", a year-on-year increase of 153.3%; 27 companies "increased the cost of people", a year-on-year increase of 50%; There were 25 "employee turnovers", a year-on-year increase of 127.2%. All three factors hit record highs.
From the perspective of industries, the service industry had the most failures, with 27 (a year-on-year increase of 92.8%), exceeding the same period last year for three consecutive years.
Originally, the demand for labor in the service industry was relatively large, and the rise in import prices led to an increase in operating costs, and it was difficult to ensure profits under multiple pressures, and if the revenue was insufficient, it would lead to bankruptcy.
This was followed by the construction and transportation industries, each with 21 companies failing and bankruptcy rates increasing by 250% and 90.9% respectively.
The sharp increase is due to the "2024 issue" of overtime caps, and the shortage of manpower is particularly prominent.
Manufacturing and retail also surpassed the same period last year for the second year in a row, with closures up 60% and 150% year-on-year, respectively.
Both industries also require a large number of workers, and if companies struggle to recruit enough employees, production and sales will be affected and will lead to closure.
In order to solve the problem of manpower shortage and increase the competitiveness of human resources, salary increases have become an inevitable choice for Japanese companies.
According to joint statistics, in addition to the highest wage increase of more than 5% in the history of regular employees, the wages of informal employees who work more in the catering and service industries also increased by 6.02%, a record high.
In the future, there will be an increasing shortage of workers in Japan, and wages will rise even further.
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