#Japan #Tokyo #HR Solutions #Spot Work #Matchbox Technologies

A New Year Perspective on Spot Work

As we step into 2026, I extend my warmest New Year’s greetings to all. Reflecting on the past year, it was evident that spot work has surged in popularity, making it a familiar employment option in society. This flexible work style is proving to be indispensable for both businesses and employees alike.

In our company, we witnessed significant growth in the utilization of our Matchbox platform in 2025. A notable achievement was the launch of the "Aeon Mall Matchbox" in collaboration with Aeon Mall Co., Ltd., paving the way for a comprehensive spot work system throughout their facilities. Furthermore, our partnership with NEC Corporation involved integrating Matchbox with their resident portal app designed for local governments, showcasing the collaborative progress with various businesses and municipalities.

Our collaboration with local governments has also steadily expanded. Last year, we opened five new "Municipality Matchboxes" across 28 towns and cities, tailored to enhance the local employment environment. By 2026, we anticipate that the total number of established platforms will exceed 20, serving 80 municipalities. Additionally, during a seminar hosted by the Ministry of Finance, I had the opportunity to address a plethora of inquiries regarding the utilization of spot work within local governments. There is a growing interest in incorporating spot work as a practical strategy for regional revitalization and addressing labor shortages.

As the trend of spot work gains traction, there is an increasing demand for not only convenience and workforce availability but also for safe and secure employment practices. We have been receiving numerous inquiries from various stakeholders, including businesses and governmental bodies, regarding worker protection and compliance with legal standards.

Spot work has now transitioned into a phase where platform providers and users bear significant social responsibilities. Last year, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare issued guidelines highlighting the importance of practical arrangements on the business side for using spot work. To realize flexible working styles, it is essential to design systems with worker protection as a fundamental principle. Issues such as last-minute cancellations from job seekers often lead to workplace confusion, revealing the need for businesses to ensure security in employing these workers.

We believe that these challenges do not stem solely from spot work itself, but rather from the operational methodologies of the systems and their application by companies. By prioritizing worker protection, platform providers and utilizing companies can greatly improve these issues. At Matchbox, we emphasize a "self-sourcing" model that builds trust between companies and workers, ensuring a conducive environment for workplace usage.

In line with our philosophy, we are committed to developing systems that prioritize worker protection while allowing companies to safely and securely employ spot work personnel. Furthermore, we are concurrently pursuing patents to safeguard our technology and remain dedicated to delivering solutions that address these challenges sustainably to society.

Looking back, we have maintained a strong focus on worker protection and compliance in our system design from the outset of our service launch. The functions and mechanisms we have previously established align with the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's guidelines, illustrating that spot work is increasingly becoming essential as it permeates into society. We are thrilled to play a part in resolving forthcoming challenges.

At Matchbox Technologies, we will continue to address social issues through research and development and collaboration within related industries. We seek your continued support for Matchbox Technologies in the upcoming year.

About "Matchbox"

The "Matchbox" is a self-sourcing® HR product that enables management of spot work in-house. By registering current employees, alumni, registered part-time workers, and previous spot workers in a system tailored to each company, businesses can build their unique talent pool, significantly reducing time and costs associated with hiring. The entire process from recruitment to payroll management can be easily centralized through our system, optimizing operational efficiency. We focus on allowing enterprises to choose trustworthy talent while also providing benefits such as automatic compensation for standbys and credit checks for businesses, aiming for a fair and safe service for both employers and workers. Matchbox fosters a community based on trust between companies and workers, creating environments where everyone can work flexibly.

Learn more about our service: Matchbox Service Page

About "Matchbox Technologies"

Our mission is to realize a world where both employers and employees can work authentically and effortlessly. We assist in tackling human resource challenges faced by businesses and local governments under the mission of "transforming flexible workplace environments through technology. Since 2020, we have been developing a cloud-based system, "matchbox," empowering organizations and local municipalities to easily establish unique spot work platforms, enabling flexible work arrangements on a daily or hourly basis. To date, we have implemented our system in over 11,485 business sites and have provided it as a unique platform in nine prefectures and 59 municipalities, including Niigata and Osaka. We focus on addressing social issues rather than getting caught up in competition due to differences in financial strength, emphasizing our intellectual property strategies.

We have filed over 40 patent applications relating to spot work and self-sourcing, having secured 18 patents, including foundational ones. We continue to promote a new standard of work that balances the flexibility of spot work with the establishment of a reliable human resource community and are committed to advancing research and development of safe and compliant services to tackle societal challenges.