Nearly 20% of Major Japanese Companies Have Used Retirement Support Services: Which Industries Use Them Most?

Tokyo Sangyo Research conducted a survey on 'talent acquisition and resignation proxy' among companies in Japan, and the results showed that about 20% of large companies have experience with resignations using resignation proxy services.

The survey results showed that when asked whether there were any employees who resigned using a resignation proxy service after January 2023, 9.3% (479 out of 5,149 companies) of all companies responded 'yes'. Broken down by company size, the figure reached 18.4% for large companies (92 out of 499 companies), more than double the 8.3% (387 out of 4,650 companies) recorded for SMEs.

Looking at the industry-wise breakdown of companies that responded that they had experience with resignation proxy services, 'Laundry, beauty, and bath industries' had the highest rate at 33.3%. This was followed by 'Various merchandise retail industry' including department stores at 26.6% and 'Accommodation industry' including inns and hotels at 23.5%.

In response to the question about specific measures taken to secure talent, 'Wage increase' was overwhelmingly the most common response at 73.5%, followed by 'Increase in vacation days' at 24.4%. While 'Wage increase' was 84.9% for large companies and 72.2% for SMEs, 'Increase in vacation days' was higher for SMEs at 25.2% compared to 17.7% for large companies, highlighting a difference based on company size.

This survey was the first conducted by Tokyo Sangyo Research on talent acquisition and resignation proxy, and was carried out online from June 3rd to 10th, 2024. The valid responses were from 5,149 companies, with companies having capital of 100 million yen or more defined as large companies and those with less than 100 million yen (including individual businesses) defined as SMEs.

Resignation proxy services are often used when employees find it difficult to directly convey their intention to resign to the company or to avoid unnecessary conflicts that may arise during the resignation process. Particularly in large companies, there is an increasing trend of employees utilizing resignation proxy services due to concerns about deteriorating relationships with the company upon resignation.

Experts analyze that in the 'Laundry, beauty, and bath industries', which have a high rate of resignation proxy service usage, there is a severe shortage of manpower and often poor working conditions for employees, leading to a higher number of employees deciding to resign. Furthermore, in the accommodation industry, the high level of employment instability due to seasonal factors is believed to be a reason why many employees considering resignation utilize such services.

On the other hand, there are negative views regarding the use of resignation proxy services. Some express concerns that utilizing such services could lead to missed opportunities for communication with the company and potentially cause unnecessary misunderstandings or conflicts even after resignation.

While using resignation proxy services is a personal choice, careful consideration is necessary to ensure a smooth conclusion to the relationship with the company and maintain a positive relationship even after resignation.