A Bloomberg article with some anecdotal examples of employers in Japan struggling to find staff and contemplating wage rises to attract workers.

Kazufumi Yamamoto of Ganko Food Service Co. (a sushi-chain operator):

  • “Positions remain open for several months, leaving some restaurants heavily understaffed. The labor shortage has worsened to the point we have no choice but to increase pay.”

Chief Japan economist in Tokyo at JPMorgan Chase says is within a few years of an overheated job market:

  • “By 2017, the focus of the argument will shift to how to contain inflation — once the fire is set, it spreads really quickly. In two or three years, the wage increases will be more remarkable due to the labor market heating up.”
  • He predicts the number of open positions for every job seeker will climb to 1.5 by 2017, from 1.04 in January,

More at the Bloomberg article.