Japan’s convenience store and restaurant operators have put up day care facilities to entice housewives to join the workforce as a means of addressing the country’s labor shortage.
Seven-Eleven Japan Co. recently opened two nursery schools for its employees— one in Ota Ward in Tokyo and another in Hiroshima Prefecture—a wise strategy since both areas have long waiting lists for child care facilities. Their Tokyo nursery school is at the second floor of a 7-Eleven convenience store and according to a 32-year- old housewife, she has “found a day care spot for [her 3 year-old] daughter and a workplace — at one place.” She thinks that such setup is helpful. The company will decide whether they will establish more nursery schools after they look into how the two facilities are used.
Yakult Honsha Co., the one that produces and sells Yakult lactic acid beverage products, now lacks “Yakult Ladies”, who are mainly housewives, due to an outflow to other industries. They are using both the internet and the conventional fliers to obtain more job applications with an emphasis on its 1,200 child care facilities across the nation.
Meanwhile, convenience store FamilyMart has started a new recruiting campaign in Saitama Prefecture last September. During the event, the company’s president showed housewives the job opportunities available to them at the chain. With these efforts, they wish to double the number of housewives working part time to 100,000.
McDonald’s Holdings Co. is also providing housewives with opportunities to work at about 2,900 of its outlets spread across Japan on a trial basis.
Reference: Japan retail chains offer day care services to woo housewives amid labor shortage
