Global Love Report – July 14, 2021
A review article by Pamela Stephanie
284 Japanese matchmakers working at marriage agencies in Japan replied to a survey conducted by marriage company IBJ.
Becoming Japanese Matchmakers
According to the survey, since the pandemic, the number of marriage agencies being opened as a “side business” increased by 14%.
Of those that started the agency as a “side business”, 40% turned it into their main business.
The Japanese matchmakers were also asked the reason why they decided to start their matchmaking business. The most common reason (40%) is because they thought it’s a worthwhile job.
Some of the other reasons included: it allows them to use their past experiences, the structure of work was similar to my previous work, spouse recommended it to them because the spouse thought it would suit them, and so forth.
Respondents were asked what type of characteristic should a matchmaker have. 39% believe that they need to be a good listener, 27% believe they like to take care of people, and 22% said like to be involved with people.
Business during the Pandemic
The respondents were also asked how their business were impacted by the pandemic. 70% reported that their work has changed since the pandemic. They’ve had to switch to online counseling more instead of face-to-face.
More than 70% of the respondents also said that the pandemic has actually had a positive impact on their business. With some of the respondents noting that loneliness has driven some clients to matchmaking agencies and people are more desperate to be married.
Others noted that because the meetings are now online, clients aren’t limited to just one meeting per day and were able to have more.
One the most common reasons why clients decided to use a matchmaking agency (62%) is because they feel impatient, especially regarding their age and their surroundings. So, they decided to meet someone and get married. 38% of the respondents said that they felt the need to use an agency because they weren’t going out due to the pandemic and were unable to meet new people.
Previous Job
One of the questions asked was what type of industry was the matchmaker in before they decided to pursue matchmaking. The most common industries were: manufacturing; trading, distribution and retail; bridal; and education. See the graph below to see the full range of industries.
For the full article (in Japanese), please click here.
Original article written by PR Times.
