Expanding the potential of temporary workers through working from home

Saeko Hirata

Recruit Staffing
SmartWork Development Department, Manager

Due to the spread of COVID-19, Recruit Staffing has seen a significant increase in the percentage of temporary workers working from home－up from approximately 1% in January 2020 to approximately 48% in May 2020. According to a survey^*1 conducted in June 2020, about 90% of temporary workers were experiencing working from home for the first time and about 80% reported interest in continuing to do so even after offices reopened.

At Recruit Group, we believe that working from home is a great match for temporary workers and job candidates seeking flexible work environments. We believe enabling temporary workers to contribute through working from home can increase employment matching opportunities by removing geographic constraints.

In addition to responding to workstyle changes caused by the global health crisis, we strive to accommodate the naturally evolving needs of the Japanese staffing industry. For example, "Work-Off Haken"^*2 is a new trend of flexible work arrangements that combine office work with working from home so that anyone can work wherever they desire.

As working from home and virtual communications become the norm, it's our duty to demonstrate flexible and sustainable staffing strategies so that we can facilitate streamlined communications between enterprise clients and temporary workers. Recruit Staffing started an online interview service for people looking for temporary employment, and has shifted monthly check-in meetings with existing temporary workers from in-person to online. Recruit Staffing will continue to seek out ways to provide necessary support for enterprise clients and temporary workers by responding quickly to changes in society.