From a poll of heads of Japanese businesses ("142 key companies" says the Nikkei )
- 27.5% of them say they'd consider price increases or were more likely to weigh hikes than cuts
Citing as reasons:
- Rising material costs
- Higher transport and distribution expenses
- Rising labor costs
It goes on:
- A severe shortage of labor
- 6.3% said they were short of workers across their respective companies, 31.7% reported insufficient staffing in at least one operation
- Structural problems mean the issue will persist even after the Tokyo Olympics in 2020
- Has resulted in higher labor costs, according to 27.8% of respondents, as companies offer better wages to draw in scarce workers
And, it what sounds familiar ...
- 68.5% of respondents said their companies will consider investing in automation technology ... to improve productivity
