Japanese supermarket giant Ito-Yokado has opened the floodgates for applications from ordinary workers wanting to apply for managerial posts within the company.
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The open-application procedure now applies to a total of 3,800 positions, including store managers but excluding directors, and the promotion by merit marks a clear departure from the company’s traditional seniority ladder.
From the end of this month, about 15,000 full time and 21,000 part time employees, who have worked at the company for two years or more, will be able to apply for a more challenging role. The new positions will be filled in May.
Ito-Yokado’s MD Yoshiaki Ota said the new system will help promote the company’s structural reforms and reinvigorate its operations.
