TSUKUBAMIRAI, Ibaraki Prefecture–City officials here may end up doing desk work on weekdays and serving as golf caddies or greenskeepers on weekends.

Home to several historic courses, Tsukubamirai city is now discussing a side-job system that would allow personnel to work at golf facilities.

The system, expected to take effect next fiscal year at the earliest, will help to alleviate labor shortages at popular golf courses, including the Ibaraki Golf Club, the Joyo Country Club, the Tsukuba Country Club and the Toride Kokusai Golf Club.

The four courses have convenient access to expressways, railroads and other traffic infrastructure. They are also struggling to find workers, including caddies.

“We have difficulty finding applicants when posting new jobs,” explained an insider.

On Oct. 31, Tsukubamirai summoned the golf resorts’ managers to city hall, where they signed a comprehensive cooperation agreement to attract more people to the city via golf and reinvigorate local communities.

Under the agreement, the city and the operators will work together toward establishing Tsukubamirai as a “town of golf.”

They will also address challenges facing the golf industry.

In principle, civil servants are prohibited from holding secondary jobs under the Local Public Service Law.

Still, mayors and other authorities can allow public workers to participate in social contribution activities. Depending on local circumstances, civil servants can harvest crops during peak farming seasons as part of work style reform.

Tsukubamirai said its side-job endeavor is rare because it caters exclusively to local golf courses.

The municipality expects its personnel will take the secondary jobs primarily on their off-duty weekends.

Tsukubamirai city plans to design its side-job system in a way that gains the understanding of staff members. It will refer to other local governments’ programs to set limits on side-work hours and to clear labor management issues.

“We will be weighing the system to provide a good opportunity not only to change our staff’s work style but also to raise awareness of job chances at golf courses among citizens,” said a Tsukubamirai representative.

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