In preparation for the busy year-end and New Year period, continue connecting with capable former employees (OBOG) and provide a system that can alleviate labor shortages across stores.
Mercari, Inc. (hereinafter referred to as Mercari) will announce a new feature in the gig job service "Mercari Haro" starting from late December, allowing the invitation of individuals who have previously worked at various stores (hereinafter referred to as OBOG) as crew members of "Mercari Haro" and allowing limited public job postings.Partners will be able to maintain connections not only with workers (hereinafter referred to as crew) met through "Mercari Haro" but also continue connections with the OBOG accumulated outside of "Mercari Haro" even after part-time or temporary staff retire. Additionally, job postings can be limited to crews at other stores within the same operator, not just their own store.
This will enable matching with reliable and capable OBOG within the shortest time possible, even during critical labor shortages, such as during the year-end and New Year periods.
■ Background
The number of cases of "business bankruptcies due to labor shortages" has reached the highest level ever recorded※1, making labor shortages a serious issue that pressures corporate management. According to a survey conducted by Teikoku Databank on "projections for business performance in 2024※2", "the aggravation of labor shortages" has become the top factor contributing to downward performance projections.
※1: Teikoku Databank "Trends in Business Bankruptcies Due to Labor Shortages (First Half of Fiscal Year 2024)"
Note 2: Teikoku Data Bank "Survey on Performance Outlook for FY2024"
In particular, at the end of the year, a survey conducted by Mercari revealed that despite it being a busy season across all industries, 73.5% of businesses experienced employee "work restraint" due to income barriers such as "1.03 million yen wall," resulting in 85.2% of businesses acknowledging having felt "labor shortage challenges" during the year-end and New Year period.
Note 3: "Mercari Halo" Partner Survey (December 5 to December 7, 2024, n=223)
During busy seasons, the demand for hiring OBOG with skills and experience as immediate assets tends to increase, as the availability of personnel to teach the content of operations and time is constrained. As the severity of labor shortages intensifies at year-end, we aim to help resolve the labor shortage challenges for more businesses and also wish to increase opportunities for workers to connect with businesses that value the skills and experience they have cultivated.
Overview
1. Invite OBOG to "Mercari Halo"
Partners will be able to invite OBOG who have previously worked at their stores to the "Mercari Halo" groups of each store, regardless of their working experience through "Mercari Halo." OBOG can voluntarily accept invitations sent by the partners via a dedicated URL or QR code and easily join the group.
Note 4: Invitations from partners will be sent not through "Mercari Halo", but via email or other communication methods.
Participation screen for the invited group (image).
To enable limited public job postings across stores.
Partners will be able to publicly post job openings not only for the crew they have invited from their own store but also for the crew from other stores within the same business. During sudden staff shortages or when adjusting shifts during busy or slow periods, it is possible to broaden the recruitment to include other stores. Note 5: If a hire is confirmed via "Mercari Halo", the confirmation of working hours and payment of wages will be handled through "Mercari Halo", allowing for a reduction in the administrative workload and burden on the business operator, enabling hiring as soon as the same day.
Note 5: At the stage of job recruitment, personal information regarding crew from other stores cannot be confirmed.
Job notification (image)
■ Comments from Partners
B&V Co., Ltd. Karaoke Hall Directly Operated Options Chain Headquarters First Sales Headquarters
Manager Togo Kawamura, Shinjuku Central Exit Store Manager Yuta Moroaka
At the 'Karaoke Kan' operated by us, many of the employees are students or part-timers, and due to regular turnovers, there are numerous alumni across the country. In the past, when we have faced staff shortages, we have contacted alumni to work for a short period, and in some cases, this contact has led to alumni working at Karaoke Kan again.
However, with the previous methods, we had to reach out to alumni without knowing whether they "currently want to work" or "are in a position to work," and we thought that sudden contact might be a burden for the alumni as well. Therefore, we have been searching for a solution for a long time regarding whether there might be a better system for both parties.
Especially at the end of the year, during the year-end party season, securing manpower becomes urgent. Since alumni understand the nature of the work, they can contribute as immediate assets, and the store can secure flexibility in shifts, allowing us to confidently entrust them with duties. Additionally, if applications and hiring are made through 'Mercari Hello,' work can begin as soon as that day, which is particularly helpful when manpower is urgently needed.
I have heard that with this new feature, we will be able to easily recruit not only the alumni we are already connected with but also those who have experience in other stores, which I expect will greatly help with shift adjustments and resolving personnel shortages. I see great potential in utilizing alumni, and moving forward, I would like to actively increase connections with alumni through 'Mercari Hello.'
Mercari has established the group mission of 'Circulating all values and expanding the possibilities of all people.' Through 'Mercari Hello,' we aim to make 'working' more accessible, allowing each individual’s time and skills to circulate as value, thereby continuing to support each person's realization of their favorite things and what they want to do.