Photo/Illutration Students walk around the booths of companies at a job fair held at Makuhari Messe in Chiba on March 1. (Jin Nishioka)

Job fairs aimed at university third-year students kicked off on March 1, in line with government rules meant to temper companies from starting recruiting efforts too early to counteract serious labor shortages. 

These rules ask that company information sessions begin no earlier than March and recruiting processes wait until June 1. However, neither are legally binding and about 40 percent of the class of 2026 has already secured a job.

Students assessing the booths of some 160 companies at Makuhari Messe in Chiba are looking to join those peers. Employment information entity Mynavi Corp. held its job fair the first day possible under the government's request. 

"I came here to get a sense of what the employees are like, something we can't learn from an online information session, and to hear from many companies at once," said a 21-year-old in her third year at a private university. "I want to look at companies that place an emphasis on a comfortable work environment, such as the amount of leave and if there are any transfers." 

In a Mynavi survey, 29.4 percent of companies that responded said they would increase the number of recruits from the previous year.

In addition, 78.1 percent of companies said that the prospects for the companies to acquire talent would be “tougher,” indicating a strengthening seller's market.

Many companies have already begun hiring processes and waved off the government's request. According to employment information company Career-tasu Inc., the job acceptance rate as of Feb. 1 was 39.9 percent, higher than the 33.8 percent of the same period last year. 

The rules for internships have also changed significantly since fiscal 2023. If certain conditions are met, such as the number of days participated, the internship evaluation can now be considered part of the recruitment process. 

Shoko Ide, a senior researcher at Mynavi Career Research Lab, warned of the impact that accelerated recruitment could have on young adults. 

“Students will be looking for jobs without having a clear view of their careers, and there are concerns that this will lead to mismatches and early resignations," she said. "It is necessary to provide opportunities to support career development.”

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