24-hour convenience stores, as the word suggests, provide convenience to its customers by its round-the-clock availability. Along with its full-scale operation, comes the need for more manpower. In a country that suffers from labor shortage like Japan, convenience stores are getting more creative in order to fill these positions.
Read the article and find out what Lawson Japan is doing to address this issue.
Short on workers, Japan retailer hires remote cashiers living overseas | South China Morning Post
Vocabulary Questions:
- What does the phrase “to tackle something” mean? “One of Japan’s largest 24-hour convenience store chains is turning to remote cashiers based overseas in a bid to tackle the country’s chronic labour shortage.“. Use it in a sentence.
- Define the phrasal verb “do away with“. “I would fully expect Lawson and others to use this type of system backed by AI in the very near future, reducing and then eventually doing away with the need for human operation.” Use it in a sentence and give two synonyms.
- What does “poised for” mean in this context? “The system is poised for expansion, with company president Sadanobu Takemasu revealing plans to hire in other regions including Brazil and New York.” Use it in your own sentence.
Discussion Questions:
- What do you think of Lawson hiring remote workers?
- What industries in your country suffer from labor shortages? In your opinion, why are these industries affected by this?
- What do you think can be done in order to address this labor shortage in Japan?
- Do you know many people who have full-time remote work? If so, which industry do they belong to?