Any company that keeps funneling employees to resignation services through its own incompetence has no place in the future of work.

Read the original article (in Japanese):https://encount.press/archives/793132/


Resignation Services: No Longer a Trend, but a Structural Symptom

Resignation agency services have become a permanent fixture in Japan's labor market—not a fad, but a structural solution to deep-rooted problems. Many users turn to these services because they face threats, verbal abuse, or complete disregard in workplaces where they cannot quit on their own.

Young workers especially tend to leave quickly due to mismatches between job postings and reality, lack of training, or isolation. In this sense, resignation agencies are a symptom of insincere hiring practices.

The Data Speaks: What Resignation Agencies Reveal

According to those working in resignation services, around 20% of clients come from overtly exploitative companies. If that ratio holds true across Japan’s workforce of 70 million, it would imply that more than 14 million people work in harmful environments.

Even without using resignation services, many workers remain stuck in “gray” companies—places that fall short of being illegal but are still clearly misaligned with decent labor standards. In effect, these companies continuously “outsource” their retention failures.

The True Cost of Early Resignation

Early turnover doesn’t just create staffing gaps—it generates financial and organizational losses. Between recruitment ads, interviews, onboarding, and early salaries, each short-lived hire can cost a company ¥500,000 to ¥1,000,000.

Worse still, reputational damage accumulates when a workplace becomes known as somewhere people don’t stay long. It erodes internal morale and makes future recruitment harder. Being abandoned by employees is far more costly than not hiring at all.

When Companies Aren’t Black, But Still Drive People Away

Even without blatant abuse, many workplaces drive turnover through poor communication, lack of onboarding, and unchecked harassment. Some companies dismiss resignations as a sign that “young people today lack toughness.”

But the right question is not who left—it’s why they felt they had to leave in the first place.

Why Is Quitting So Hard in Japan?

In Japan, quitting is often viewed as betrayal. The legacy of lifetime employment and seniority-based systems discourages open exits. Weak unions and a lack of negotiation culture mean resignation agencies serve as de facto representatives.

Vague employment contracts and job postings without legal force further limit workers’ freedom. In a society where quitting isn’t free, working isn’t truly free either.

How Japan Compares Globally

Country/RegionJob Posting TransparencyContract ClarityWorker Bargaining Power
JapanLow (vague, overstated)Unclear due to broad rolesWeak (unions ineffective)
GermanyHigh (detailed listings)Legally enforcedStrong (binding agreements)
FranceHigh (pre-contract disclosure)Legally protected conditionsStrong (culture of negotiation)
USAModerate to HighVaries by stateModerate (legal recourse focused)
SwedenVery HighStrict oversightVery Strong

A New Mindset for Management

  • Don't just prevent turnover—design environments that don’t make people want to leave

  • Focus not on hiring volume but employee retention

  • Transparency and honesty in job ads, training, and assignments build trust

Facing today’s realities, the challenge isn’t just in updating systems—it’s in rebuilding trust.

Conclusion: Resignation Services Reflect the Workplace

It’s easy to call resignation agencies a sign of weakness. But they are actually a consequence of workplaces where dialogue has broken down. For many workers, they are the last available channel for negotiation.

Companies must face a hard question: how many “clients” have they unknowingly handed to resignation services?

Only when people can say, “I want to leave,” can we build a society where people say, “I want to work.”


Read in Japanese↓

退職代行に“顧客”を送り続ける企業の末路──採用の歪みが生むコストと信頼損失（2025.5.9）

Read more articles (in Japanese)↓ 

自由な働き方は本当に理想なのか？責任と納得感から考える働き方の本質（2025.5.7）


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