To Solve Labor Shortage in Regional Companies: Ojiya City, Niigata Prefecture, Launches Demonstration Project for 'Work-Friendly Environment' Centered on Women's Empowerment

Le Marume Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Tokyo; Representative Director: Hiroko Akutagawa), which provides women's empowerment support and organizational structure diagnosis, will launch a demonstration project for women's empowerment promotion targeting companies in Ojiya City, Niigata Prefecture, starting in April 2026, under commission from Ojiya City.

In this project, management interviews will be conducted with five companies in the city to understand the current status and organizational challenges related to women's empowerment promotion. Subsequently, the current situation will be analyzed and issues will be organized, and directions for initiatives will be proposed for each company.

Starting with women's empowerment, the project aims to promote "work-friendly environments for everyone" in regional companies and improve companies' human resource utilization capabilities.

**Deepening Labor Shortage in Regional Companies**

In regional companies, securing human resources has become a major management challenge due to the decrease in the young population and the outflow of talent to urban areas.

On the other hand, many regional areas have companies with excellent technology and appeal. However, the "attractiveness of companies," such as work-life balance and growth opportunities, may not be sufficiently communicated to the younger generation.

To become a company that is "chosen" by talent, initiatives that enhance the company's attractiveness, such as work-life balance and growth opportunities, are considered important.

In recent years, it is said that an increasing number of students refer to indicators such as the ratio of female managers when choosing a company during job hunting. Women's empowerment is also attracting attention as an indicator of whether a company is a work-friendly environment for diverse human resources.

This project aims to connect to sustainable human resource utilization for regional companies and organizational development for the future by understanding the current situation through company interviews and visualizing organizational challenges.

**Project Overview**

[Project Name] Ojiya City Gender Equality Promotion Corporate Support Services

[Target] Five companies in Ojiya City

[Period] April 2026 - March 2027

[Main Content]

Interviews Interviews will be conducted with executives or HR managers of companies in the city regarding the current status of women's empowerment promotion and organizational challenges.

Current Situation Analysis and Proposal Based on the interview results, the company's current situation will be organized, and the visualization of challenges and directions for future initiatives will be proposed.

Introduction of Support Program For companies that wish, the introduction of a support program for women's empowerment and creating a work-friendly environment will be considered.

**Representative Comment**

Hiroko Akutagawa, Representative Director, Le Marume Co., Ltd.

"While the labor shortage in regional companies is becoming severe, many companies do not sufficiently utilize female talent, including in recruitment.

Through my own 19 years of experience working in the manufacturing industry, I have seen that even attractive workplaces often lack fair evaluation or career opportunities for women."