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98.1 ％ of New College Graduates in Japan Employed in April

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
The joint company information session is crowded with students in Yokohama on March 1.

Jiji Press

12:20 JST, May 24, 2024

Tokyo, May 24 (Jiji Press) — A record 98.1 % of people in Japan who graduated from university in March had received informal job offers as of April 1, a survey by the labor and education ministries showed Friday.

The figure was up 0.8 percentage point from a year before. The survey began in 1996.

Companies in various industries are willing to hire more amid labor shortages after the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic waned, a labor ministry official said. “A seller’s market is expected to continue,” the official said.

The survey showed that 97.9 % of male graduates and 98.3 % of female graduates had received informal job offers. The proportion was 97.9 % for those who majored in humanities and 98.8 % in science and engineering.

The figure rose from a year before in all regions excluding Kanto, which includes Tokyo, with the highest in Chugoku and Shikoku at 99.6 %.

The survey covered 112 universities, junior colleges and technical schools.