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The fiscal year ending March 31, 2024 ended with an increase in sales and a decrease in profits as planned. Although both sales and operating income fell short of our targets, the results were mostly in line with our plans. The reason for the lack of sales is that although the compensation of temporary workers was increased, it did not have a large impact on acquiring new temporary workers, and as a result, it was not possible to increase the number of employees in operation. Therefore, we will further significantly increase compensation in April 2024, aiming to become the temporary staffing company that can pay the highest compensation. To that end, we will temporarily lower the amount of profit and profit margin, but we will take various initiatives to ensure that this year's investment will be a step toward growth for next year.
When I started the business, one of my goals was to become a company with an operating profit margin of 10% or more. I thought that is an indicator to be recognized as a soundly managed company. When viewed as a company, the ordinary profit margin is the subject of evaluation, but as a business, I think that the operating profit margin may be more appropriate for evaluation.
Up until now, we have been working towards the goal of continuing to grow both sales and profits every year, but since the two years ago we have been working to improve the treatment of temporary employees, lowering profits. We plan a decrease in profits this year due to an even larger increase in compensation. Two years ago, we were ahead of other companies in our industry by increasing compensation, but our investment did not have a significant effect due to the recent increase in compensation at other companies. Therefore, we are considering further increases in compensation this fiscal year, and have decided to reduce profits because we believe that it is important to expand our business even if there is a temporary decrease in profits.
We keep the index representing sound management, that is, maintaining an operating profit margin of 10%, a dividend payout ratio of 40% or more, and a state in which dividends are not reduced to shareholders, work to raise the remuneration to dispatched staff and to employees. We aim to become the one and only company in the human resources industry. We are confident that increasing compensation for temporary employees, which we have implemented under this policy, will be one of our growth drives. However, this fiscal year, we plan to reduce profits, so although we have set the dividend payout ratio at 40%, we plan to reduce the dividend. We will steadily work toward medium- to long-term plans while disclosing the necessary information.
With the understanding of our shareholders, we will consider and implement even more measures than ever before in order to align the interests of our customers, temporary employees, and our company. We aim to create a situation in which the interests of all three parties continue to align, aim to be a company with a different approach from other human resources services companies, and continue to qualitatively transform the company while fulfilling our responsibilities to our stakeholders.
In order to align the interests of the three parties mentioned above, we will consider and implement measures more than ever before. We have reviewed our medium-to-long term management plan. We do not have any plans to increase sales significantly, and are planning for a temporary decrease in profits. I view the past two years as a period of investment for the future. We will improve the treatment of temporary staff, become a temporary staffing company that can pay the highest compensation of any temporary staffing company, and become a temporary staffing company where excellent temporary staff continue to work. We view the past few years as a period of investment for this purpose. Once we have that system in place, we will begin working on the clerical job market. This does not mean that we have given up on what we have been communicating so far. We are increasing the precision of our measures and reconsidering the priority of our efforts in response to changes in the environment.
We have such a high market share that one in three (Estimated according to the data of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, our research, and etc.) is dispatched from our group in the human resource service market of science researcher career. But it will be difficult to occupy more than half of the market in theory. We launched a new platform of staffing service which we had developed to bring more convenience for our customers and dispatched staff as well. Since then, we have been working to further efficiency of internal operations and pursued further improvement of satisfaction and convenience of customers and dispatched staff. Based on this, we will build stronger relationships with customers and dispatched staff, make the current situation unwavering, and expand into the administrative clerk market too by deploying a new platform.
In addition, in a business environment that is said to be in the midst of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, we must not ignore the use of AI in our management. Considering the changes in the industrial structure, it seems that the time has come to think about the nature of the temporary staffing business itself, which is an "intermediary service." When thinking about what our business is, I would like to define it as envisioning a mechanism to solve problems, building a platform to realize it, and providing it as a highly convenient service.
As an organizational structure, NEZOT Co., Ltd. develops the platform within the group, and using that platform, the human resource service companies, CRO business companies and other companies manage the business. We would like to clarify the role within the group and conduct the business. For the time being, we may keep the expression "Human resource service" and "CRO business", but even if we change our formation in the future, we will continue to provide services which is highly appreciated by customers for their convenience and usability.
For this fiscal year too, knowing that we must well balance investment vs returns and well balance new challenges vs steady management in operations, we are determined to conduct our business boldly and solidly as ever. I would like to ask for your further support and continued guidance for us.