*Japanese firms near crisis point as labor shortage deepens
The Japan Times | July 11, 2014
Japan’s labour shortage is nearing crisis in some key industries as it spreads from construction to services, curbing companies’ operations, pushing up wages and potentially crimping a tentative recovery in the world’s third-largest economy...
...The labor crunch began in construction, where demand for rebuilding after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami has combined with the start of preparations for the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics. In May, there were eight times as many job offers for highly qualified workers putting together steel construction frames as there were workers.
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