Niche Zebra Company Hopes Inc. Begins Comprehensive Business Partnership with Shima no Jinji Bu Inc., a Recruitment Consulting Firm Focusing on Okinawa's Remote Islands, Including Miyako and Ishigaki

Hopes Inc. (Location: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Shinichiro Sakai), which provides human resource development services for sports teams, athletic organizations, corporations, and educational institutions, has announced the commencement of a comprehensive business partnership with Shima no Jinji Bu Inc. (Location: Miyakojima City, Okinawa Prefecture; Representative Director: Taihei Chida), a company that offers recruitment consulting services in Miyako Island, Ishigaki Island, and the main island of Okinawa.

Summary of this Release

Hopes Inc. and Shima no Jinji Bu Inc. commence a comprehensive business partnership. Hopes Inc. will take over the "Recruitment Information Site Business (Miyako no Shigoto / Yaima no Shigoto)" previously operated by Shima no Jinji Bu Inc. Hopes Inc. will provide its training content, instructors, and training planning/sales expertise to Shima no Jinji Bu Inc., launching "Human Resource Development Services Tailored to Local Needs" in Miyako Island and Ishigaki Island, where no local companies previously offered such services for working adults. Hopes Inc. aims to build a new model that improves employee retention rates by focusing on "human resource development" in Okinawa's remote island regions, which have particularly low employee retention rates, thereby enhancing the quality and productivity of human resources for businesses, workplaces, and the region as a whole. This initiative will be expanded to the northern region of the main island of Okinawa within one year.

Background and Recognition of Issues in this Comprehensive Business Partnership

While the long-term trend of a weaker yen and global geopolitical instability have led to a steady increase in domestic travel demand among Japanese people, and a stable rise in inbound tourism, many regions in Japan are struggling to secure enough workers to support the tourism demand and the infrastructure for those who live and work there.

In light of this situation, we have come to believe that we should immediately begin leveraging our track record, experience, and know-how in human resource development, which we have primarily provided to sports teams, athletic organizations, corporations, and educational institutions in major metropolitan areas like the Tokyo metropolitan area, to domestic regional areas.

When considering the most suitable region for us to undertake such an initiative, we identified the remote islands of Okinawa Prefecture as our primary candidate. This region has a high affinity with sports and represents a "niche market where major players do not enter," which is our area of expertise. After searching for a company with which we could form a comprehensive business partnership for the past three years, we encountered Shima no Jinji Bu Inc. They share our understanding of the issues and have been striving to revitalize the island economies through consulting services focused on recruitment support for companies and businesses, as well as the launch of recruitment information sites in Miyako Island and Ishigaki Island.

Through our comprehensive business partnership with Shima no Jinji Bu Inc., we aim to contribute to the sustainable maintenance and development of island industries by creating a new recruitment model that "increases the inflow of working population and reduces the outflow in regions with declining working populations," based on the belief that "securing the required number of workers solely through acquiring new employees is insufficient, and parallel implementation of retention management for current employees is essential."

What this Comprehensive Business Partnership Will Implement

Specifically, we will proceed with the following three pillars:

・【Recruitment】Expansion of the workforce through the operation of a recruitment information site specializing in promoting the appeal of regional industries, and the introduction and registration support for foreign workers with specific skills (Strength of Shima no Jinji Bu Inc.).

・【Development & Retention】Provision of adult training through the utilization of training content, instructors, and know-how. For small and medium-sized businesses that cannot adequately provide in-house training, we will offer joint training sessions that transcend industry, company, and business boundaries, thereby enhancing the attractiveness of working on the islands and creating growth opportunities for individuals working on the islands (Strength of Hopes Inc.).

・【Improvement of Regional Productivity】The accumulation of training will enhance the quality of employees in individual companies and businesses, thereby boosting the overall industrial productivity of Miyako Island and Ishigaki Island. "Pride and sense of growth in working on the island" and "horizontal connections among people working on the island that transcend company and business boundaries" will increase talent stickiness within the islands (Shared vision of both companies).

Next Steps Envisioned by this Comprehensive Business Partnership

After establishing this initiative in Miyako Island and Ishigaki Island, we plan to expand it to the northern region of the main island of Okinawa (around Nago City), which faces similar regional challenges, within approximately one year.

While enhancing the attractiveness of each of these three regions as places of employment, we aim to create a system that "prevents the outflow of talent to urban areas" through the broad cooperation of these three regions.

Furthermore, we are considering the horizontal expansion of this model to similar regions nationwide as a successful model for talent retention in remote islands and regional areas.

Company Profile

Hopes Inc.

Established: December 2000

Representative: Shinichiro Sakai

Location: Room 342, BIZ SMART Yoyogi, 1-25-5 Yoyogi, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

URL: http://www.hopes-net.org/

Miyako no Shigoto: https://ritojob.com/

Yaima no Shigoto: https://yaima.ritojob.com/

Shima no Jinji Bu Inc.

Established: January 2022

Representative: Taihei Chida

Location: 934-1 Taira-Nakasone, Miyakojima City (within FM Miyako)

URL: https://shimano-jinji.com/