"Please Submit My Resignation for Me"…Surge in Retirement Agency Inquiries After Holidays

Nearly Double Increase in Japan's Retirement Agency Consultation Calls
Handles Everything from Resignation Submission to PC Return
Japanese Media Points Out "Need for Work Style Reform"

After Japan's Golden Week in May ended, consultations with retirement agency companies that handle resignation procedures on behalf of employees surged. This indicates the significant fear workers have about returning to their daily routines after taking a break. Japanese media pointed out the backward labor environment and urged the need for reform in working methods.

On the 15th, Asahi Shimbun reported that consultations received by retirement agency companies nearly doubled compared to usual after Golden Week ended. In the case of Oitoma, a retirement agency company in Tokyo, about 123 applications were received in less than a week after Golden Week. Among the clients was even an employee from another retirement agency company. Taiga Saita, the representative of Oitoma, told Asahi, "I myself expressed my intention to resign in 2018 due to work overload, but my resignation was not accepted. I had no legal knowledge and thought I could not quit without the company's permission, so I used the retirement agency service to leave the company. I founded this company to help people who have the same concerns as I did."

Advertisement of Oitoma, a Japanese retirement agency. It promotes using their service in situations such as "when you want to quit but cannot talk about it" and "when you cannot quit due to a lack of workforce." (Photo by Oitoma website)

Another retirement agency company, Momuri, also recorded over 170 consultation calls per day after the May holidays, up from an average of about 100 calls per day. Established in 2022, this company currently has 10,000 members. A company official said, "After Golden Week ends and people return to normal work, many decide to resign saying 'work is tough' or 'I don't think I can endure until the next holiday.' Many also reconsider their situation during the holidays and make up their minds."

Retirement agency companies handle not only conveying the client's intention to resign to the company but also final tasks such as returning PCs or smartphones initially provided by the company. The cost varies depending on the employment type, but for regular employees, it is about 21,000 yen (184,000 won) to 24,000 yen (210,000 won).

Advertisement of Momuri, a Japanese retirement agency. It promotes that you can apply for retirement agency services for 22,000 yen (190,000 won) based on full-time employment. (Photo by Momuri website)

Japanese media pointed out that despite the already severe labor shortage, the unique workplace atmosphere of Japanese companies, which still remain stuck in the past, is encouraging employees to resign. Asahi emphasized, citing data from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, that the number of consultations regarding voluntary resignations for personal reasons received last year was 42,694, an increase of 5.4% compared to the previous year.

Mainichi Shimbun also added, "Recently, dissatisfaction with labor conditions is increasing as a reason for resignation. Now is the era where workers choose companies. Efforts to improve working environments are necessary. The boom in retirement agency services seems natural."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.