Lodging facilities 20% short of workers at tourist sites in Japan

Average wages higher at Niseko ski resort than in Tokyo

Companies in Niseko, Hokkaido, offered higher wages for part-time jobs than in Tokyo in November. (Photo by Masatoshi Ida)

MAI KITAGAWA and YUI USUI, Nikkei staff writers

January 21, 2024 09:33 JST

TOKYO/NAGANO, Japan -- While consumption by foreign visitors in Japan has exceeded the amount before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, lodging facilities in tourist destinations lack more than 20% of the manpower needed and are scrambling to hire enough workers by offering better pay and other working conditions.