Survey: Fewer Major Companies Plan to Increase Spring Recruitment; Overall Hiring Mood Remains Positive

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:11 JST, April 19, 2025

Around 24% of companies said they plan to expand their graduate recruitment for spring 2026, a 12-point drop from the previous year, according to a survey targeting major companies conducted by The Yomiuri Shimbun.

The results underscore how the so-called seller’s market, in which the students have the upper hand in recruitment, is making less easy for firms to increase their headcount. However, nearly half of the companies plan to maintain the same level of hiring as the previous year, and an increasing number are boosting mid-career recruitment, indicating that overall mood on hiring remains positive.

During the spring 2021 hiring season, when economic activity was stagnant due to the COVID-19 pandemic, only 9% of companies said they would increase recruitment. As the economy recovered, the mood for hiring improved as well, with 42% of companies saying they planned to increase recruitment in spring 2024, and 36% in spring 2025. Although the figure for spring 2026 is lower than the past three years, many companies are still aiming to secure a steady number of hires amid a serious labor shortage.

Companies in the distribution sector are the most positive. Department store operators such as Takashimaya Co. and Daimaru Matsuzakaya Department Stores Co. plan to boost intake on the back of strong earnings fueled by a surge in inbound tourism.

The firms who said they will hire fewer graduates made up 13%. Mitsubishi Electric Corp., for example, has set its spring 2026 target at 1,050 recruits — 50 fewer than in the previous year — citing productivity gains from its digital transformation initiatives.

The survey was carried out in mid to-late March and responses were provided by 123 companies.