Chapter 450: Workers Become Masters
Just two months into 1987, the Japanese yen exchange rate soared again, dealing a heavy blow to the physical manufacturing industry that had just caught its breath.
No, it cannot be said that it is all physical manufacturing industries. It is the export-oriented manufacturing industries that have been hit hard.
Look at the domestic catering and construction industries, which are also part of the real economy, but now they have achieved rapid development.
As the automobile and electronics industries are heavily dependent on exports, large companies have already reacted and turned around in time.
Toyota, Nissan, Panasonic, Hitachi and others have begun to relocate their production capacity to Southeast Asia on a large scale. Huaxia, Yizhou and Lijiaopo are the primary destinations for the establishment of related industries.
Large companies can relocate their production capacity overseas, but the local small and medium-sized parts suppliers that supply them can do nothing to help.
So beneath the prosperous appearance, some small and medium-sized enterprises are slowly disappearing.
And with the transfer of production capacity, some industrial workers also began to lose their jobs.
Yes, even though Japan has entered its golden age, it still cannot avoid the problem of unemployment.
Fortunately, the economy is booming now, and domestic demand is strong. Those unemployed industrial workers can also switch to the service industry.
Although the job is different, the salary is not low at all.
So under the cover of the bubble, industrial workers with special skills switched to the service industry.
Although this is a waste of labor resources, at least the employment problem has been solved.
Fortunately, Shirakawa Kaede had the foresight to stop the capacity expansion of all physical industries under Shirakawa Holdings in the second half of 1985.
The factories producing walkmans, CD players, game consoles, etc. that are gradually moving out have indeed released a large number of local labor forces.
However, Shirakawa Feng did not lay them off, as Shirakawa Electric's newly built LCD TV and laptop production lines needed skilled workers.
Thus, the connection was seamless and the recycling of human resources was completed within Shirakawa Holdings.
According to internal plans, this alternating update would continue until the early 1990s.
The reason why Shirakawa Electric did not directly lay off some redundant workers was that it did not want to risk public exposure.
Nowadays, Japan adopts the system of collective employment, and workers treat the company as their own home.
If workers are fired directly, the company's reputation in society will plummet.
Especially now that the economy is booming, companies that do this will become the target of public criticism.
Even when Toyota relocated its factories, most of its original workers were transferred to other positions rather than directly fired.
Only those small and medium-sized enterprises facing difficulties don't care about these things and can just walk away.
Of course, a certain number of workers at Shirakawa Electric will retire every year, and fresh blood is naturally needed.
However, Shirakawa Electric's recruitment standards are now much higher than before. This is part of the company's gradual transformation process.
It is now the end of March, and the G7 meeting that Finance Minister Kiichi Miyazawa had previously called for is finally about to be held.
This is not because the United States has suddenly started to show kindness, but because the United States itself has begun to worry that the depreciation of the US dollar will lead to an increase in US dollar interest rates.
In that case, the accumulated debt problems of Central and South American countries will continue to worsen.
So on March 22, the G7 countries discussed and reached the Louvre Agreement.
It is probably similar to Plaza Accord 2.0, and is a supplement to the international exchange rate issue.
However, as before, the specific content has not been made public.
Then a familiar scene was played out again, and because of the vague announcement, the market once again hyped up the yen.
As of April, the yen exchange rate had risen to 1:140, and Japan's employment situation began to deteriorate.
Even according to data from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, Japan's unemployment rate has reached its highest level in several years.
It's magical, right? During the bubble era, Japan's unemployment rate has reached an all-time high.
…
Late March and early April is the start of the school year in Japan, and it is also the recruitment season for companies.
As the director of the audio-visual division of Shirakawa Electric, Hasegawa has been very busy recently.
"Satake-kun, your resume is very consistent with Shirakawa Electric's requirements. Thank you for submitting it.
Then, can you still come to the company tour briefing in a few days?"
In a conference room on the first floor of Shirakawa Building, Hasegawa was personally interviewing this top student from Tokyo Institute of Technology.
The other party had obtained more than 20 patents in the laboratory while in school.
And they are all patents in the field of circuit design and signals, which is quite remarkable.
So after the technicians at Shirakawa Electric had made a rough confirmation, Hasegawa couldn't wait to invite them to attend the next company tour briefing.
This sentence actually implies to the preliminary candidates that you have passed the preliminary test.
In the past, Shirakawa Electric would not directly hint to the interviewee for such initial interviews, nor would Hasegawa personally come forward.
But it is difficult to recruit talents now, and all major companies are competing for them.
If Shirakawa Electric still dares to put on airs, then these top students will most likely ignore Shirakawa Electric.
Don’t you see what the situation is now? When supply and demand change, attitudes will naturally change as well.
As expected, Mr. Satake from Tokyo Institute of Technology was a little hesitant after hearing Hasegawa's invitation.
In fact, he also received letters of intent from Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic. Together with Shirakawa Electric, these electrical giants made it difficult for him to make a decision.
Seeing his expression change, Hasegawa immediately understood what was going on. He winked at the assistant beside him, who immediately handed him a gift bag.
"Satake-kun, this is a small thank-you gift from Shirakawa Electric. Thank you for attending Shirakawa Electric's briefing this time.
Regarding attendance allowance, Shirakawa Electric is responsible for it, so please do not worry about it."
Hasegawa took the gift bag and held it out to Satake, who looked surprised.
The latter had had similar experiences, but the heavy gift bags of Shirakawa Electric still made him curious.
"I'm sorry to bother you today. I will definitely attend the company tour next week."
After taking Hasegawa's business card and taking a look at it, Satake immediately agreed to the second briefing a week later.
Look at how they get things done. Not only are the gifts substantial, but even people like the director of the business unit are sent out for the first interview.
This was clear respect, and Satake's little vanity was instantly satisfied.
Although I am a science and engineering guy, I also like to be coaxed by others.
As soon as the satisfied Satake came out of the Shirakawa Building, he couldn't wait to open the gift bag in his hand to see what Shirakawa Electric had prepared for him.
Sony and Toshiba mostly only give 30,000 to 50,000 yuan for travel expenses. After all, it is just a preliminary test and it is not the time to spend a huge amount of money.
Click! When the bag was opened, the first thing that caught my eye was a sealed kraft paper envelope.
After pinching it a little, Satake felt even more satisfied.
Just look at the thickness and you’ll know it’s a lot more than Sony’s. After opening it and counting them, there are ten photos of Fukuzawa Yukichi !
Wow, what a generous deal.
Satake happily continued to count his harvest, and under the brown paper envelope there was a stack of sorted vouchers.
There are coupons for Keio Department Store, Tokyu Department Store, Bic Camera, and other restaurants and pastry shops.
Satake roughly counted and there were more than 200,000. This was only the preliminary exam. Who would give so much for the preliminary exam?
Some companies that are a bit stingy would consider it a good amount to get this amount in the final exam.
There is no harm without comparison. Satake has already rejected the letters of intent that were at the bottom of the list.
It was still amazing how magnanimous a large company like Shirakawa Electric was. Satake happily put away the cash and vouchers.
This is hard currency and much more useful than those coupons.
After sorting these out, Satake turned his attention to the last item in the bag.
A carefully plastic-sealed packaging box. Looking at the somewhat familiar shape, Satake's eyes lit up.
This is……
Without hesitation, Satake immediately tore off the plastic film and opened the front of the box.
“Discman Youth Limited Edition—see you next spring!”
"Siguoyi~!" Satake couldn't help but exclaimed.
This is a high-end portable CD player recently launched by Shirakawa Electric. It has a thinner and lighter design and more advanced technology.
According to the market price, it is priced at around 150,000 yen.
However, what Satake is holding in his hand is actually a limited edition, and the most obvious thing is that the color scheme is different from the ones on the market.
Looking at the name of this limited edition, is this a special edition for students who have been selected for interviews?
"It's really great!" Satake couldn't put the CD player down and played with it with amazement.
Shirakawa Electric was so thoughtful that it was hard for Satake to refuse.
If you look at the souvenirs given by other companies, they are either cash or coupons. The difference is obvious when you compare the two.
The balance in his heart is tilted, and Satake is already looking forward to a good future at Shirakawa Electric.
Watching the interviewer outside the door gradually walk away, Hasegawa sighed with emotion.
The cost of recruiting people is too high now. Just this initial interview costs almost 500,000 yen.
However, some special talents are worth Shirakawa Electric's big efforts to attract.
For a top student with excellent technical conditions like Satake, Hasegawa did not hesitate to use his ultimate move.
Not everyone can get such a souvenir. Only those who are particularly favored can receive this treatment.
But do you think this is the end? Don’t forget that there will be a tour briefing and a final briefing later.
At that time, what Shirakawa Electric came up with was even more amazing, but now it's just a drizzle.
In order to maintain their relationship, Shirakawa Electric even tried to win over Satake from time to time in the following year until he officially graduated and joined Shirakawa Electric.
Yes, at this time Satake has not officially graduated yet, and he can only sign the contract next year.
Shirakawa Electric is currently recruiting next year's graduates. As for whether they want to recruit immediately for this year's employment?
It’s too late! If you wait until you really need someone, the opportunity will be gone.
Large companies have already started to reserve talent a year in advance, and the war for talent outside does not allow anyone to hesitate.
"There are four students coming to attend the second briefing next week. Remember to make reservations at the high-end restaurant in Roppongi in advance.
Two meals at midnight, pick-up and drop-off, cash gift bags and lucky bags are also prepared.
They are indispensable talents within the company, so don’t neglect them.”
"Yes!" The assistant beside him nodded respectfully in agreement.
The second briefing is actually almost the final stage. If it is confirmed by then, the cash gift package on that day will be no less than 500,000 yuan, and the lucky bag will be worth no less than 800,000 yuan.
If you can sign the oath of office, you can get Armani, Rolex , imported cars worth more than 3 million yen, foreign trips for your parents and family, and even a free high-end apartment.
Of course, this is only for high-end talents. Ordinary college students do not have such treatment.
