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Pacific Bridge, Inc. - Asian HR eNewsletter

Volume 7, Number 8 (August 1, 2007)

WITH MORE OPTIONS, JAPANESE GRADUATES HAVE BECOME MORE PICKY ABOUT JOBS

Given the recovery of the Japanese economy and the imminent retirement of large numbers of baby boomers, more jobs are becoming available in Japan. But this has also caused top new graduates to become pickier about whom they work for.

More graduates are reportedly turning down jobs from companies traditionally thought to be prestigious, such as banks and securities brokerages. Students said that the reasons for turning down jobs extend beyond factors such as salary, company reputation or fringe benefits. These include poor prospects for future advancement or even negative impressions of company representatives during the job interview.

To win over new recruits, some companies have come up with more innovative interviewing methods, such as inviting prospective employees to go out for a drink and discuss the company with current employees.

Some Japanese companies have criticized these top new graduates for lacking the kind of work ethic and public duty that had characterized earlier generations. Foreign HR managers, however, should realize that it is essential to move towards a more multi-dimensional mindset when hiring employees in Japan. Apart from placing emphasis on how new recruits can be molded into corporate “salary men,” other factors such as appealing to the recruits’ interests and inclinations should also not be overlooked. This is becoming increasingly important, since younger Japanese are more individual-minded as compared to their parents’ generation.

Furthermore, even though top new graduates can be picky, human resource managers should bear in mind that many other university graduates would be happy to be given the opportunity of finding full-time jobs. It has been estimated that over 2.5 million university graduates in Japan are currently working as temps. The longer they work as temps, the more difficult it is for them to find full-time jobs in traditional Japanese companies. Obviously, they are a potential source of talent that foreign companies should not overlook.