Now that the UK has left the EU, it is facing a labor shortage crisis in the agricultural sector. If things continue as they are, it is certain that there will be a shortage of harvesters. If there are not enough agricultural workers living in the UK, crops will not be harvested even if they are planted. The UK government has not tolerated this labor shortage. It has actively tried to recruit domestic workers who are interested in agriculture. However, only 28% of domestic workers employed by fruit producers continued working for more than six weeks. From the producers’ perspective, it was pointed out that it is difficult to find human resources close to the farmland.
The hint to solving this problem lies in Japan’s matching business. This business is a matching business that combines two themes: mood and labor shortage. Approximately 1,800 businesses, including hotels and farms, participate in this business, and approximately 68,000 people who want to go on a work trip have registered. After securing accommodation, they recruit jobs on the web for one night and two days to less than two months. For example, a ranch in Betsukai, Hokkaido, is looking for people to take care of calves and manage the barn. They are looking for people to take care of calves and manage the barn, and have announced the job description, schedule, and remuneration. It also seems to include a message that they would like to hire long-term staff after a short-term part-time job for five days.
The seeds of a situation that travel and work are matched like this have been seen in local governments. Public servants are restricted from holding multiple jobs under the Local Public Servant Act. However, this system has been relaxed, and some local governments have begun to allow employees to work in the harvesting of agricultural products. Hirosaki City in Aomori Prefecture has allowed city employees to work part-time at apple farms, harvesting apples, and other jobs. Hirosaki City has also collaborated with the city’s agricultural cooperative to introduce an app that allows farmers to post job information. Apple cultivation requires a large number of workers in a short period of time, such as during thinning and harvesting. There are similar cases in Hokkaido as well. The Tokachi region of Hokkaido is in urgent need of temporary labor as the labor shortage becomes more serious due to aging and other factors. In Hokkaido, a dedicated matching app that allows farmers to hire part-time workers on a daily basis is becoming popular. The target of these part-time workers is mainly students, housewives, and salaried workers who have a side job. The labor shortage in Japan may be what has led to the emergence of such municipalities and, furthermore, the emergence of matching businesses.
