By HIDEAKI ISHIYAMA/ Staff Writer
February 20, 2022 at 07:00 JST
Job-seeking university juniors wait in line in front of corporate booths at a job fair in Kochi. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
As many companies face labor shortage, 13.5 percent of job-hunting university juniors and others expected to graduate in March 2023 have already received job offers.
Government-led recruiting guidelines call on companies to start holding explanatory sessions and accepting entries in March and begin interviews and other selection processes in June.
As the rules are non-binding, there are no penalties for companies that violate them.
Disco Inc., a job information company, surveyed third-year university students and first-year graduate students in science and engineering courses from Jan. 1 to 6. Of them, 1,104 provided valid responses.
It found that 49.2 percent had already undergone selection processes as of Jan. 1, with 13.5 percent of all students receiving unofficial job offers.
The ratios have been increasing over the years, showing that companies start their selection processes earlier and ignore the rules.
In 2020, the percentage of students undergoing selection processes was 35.2 percent around the same time, and 7 percent receiving offers.
In 2021, 41.5 percent of students were undergoing selection processes, while 8.7 percent received offers.
In addition, 77.3 percent said they had taken up internships in the companies at which they underwent screening processes, suggesting that many employers use internships as a way to select applicants earlier than they are supposed to.
The survey also queried students about job-hunting prospects in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. It found that 69.1 percent expected that the number of recruits will be “significantly” or “slightly” affected if COVID-19 spreads, a clear indication that many students are anxious in this regard.
“Companies facing labor shortage are scrambling to conduct recruiting activities online. Students have become impetuous as they feel insecure about their prospects due to COVID-19,” said a researcher at Disco. “As a result, job-hunting and recruiting activities have been accelerated as a whole.”
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