Some restaurant chain operators have been forced to shut down a number of outlets and reduce business hours due to insufficient staffing. Delays in construction starts due to worker shortages and the rising costs of manpower pose an industry-wide headache, hampering implementation of government public-works projects.
According to Tokyo Shoko Research, 20 companies went bankrupt in the first half of this year due to manpower shortages, compared with six in the same period of 2013. Rising wage costs for recruiting workers is said to be weighing heavily on the management of small and medium-size firms. Surveys indicate that businesses expect manpower shortages to get worse in the months ahead.
Still, the manpower shortage has not yet spread to all segments of the economy as some business sectors continue to face a labor glut. The ratio of full-time-position offers to seekers of such jobs stood at only 0.67 in May. This shows that companies are trying to fill their manpower needs mostly by hiring irregular workers such as part-timers.