TOKYO — Over 30% of this spring’s new hires at Japanese companies say they want to work at the same firms until retirement, reflecting young workers’ inclinations for stability despite recent trends in the labor market such as younger people quitting quickly and the popularity of resignation services, a recent survey has shown.
Fukuoka-based NCB Research & Consulting Co. conducted the survey in March-April, compiling responses from 878 participants in the firm’s new hire seminars and training programs held in Japan’s Kyushu and Chugoku regions.
Asked whether their job-hunting efforts were successful, 62.4% said they were able to land a job at the company of their choice, the highest since the survey started in 2012. Including those who answered that their job-hunting ended “mostly as I had hoped” at 34.5%, the total reached 96.9%, indicating a high level of satisfaction amid labor shortages and a labor market favoring job-seekers.
The most common answer for a key factor job-seekers considered when choosing a company was the firm’s “atmosphere and image,” as with the previous year.
When asked how long they intend to stay at their current company, 36.9% said “until retirement,” up 8.6 percentage points from last year.
Meanwhile, 11.6% responded they “want to change jobs eventually,” 22.8% said they “would want to change jobs if the company does not suit” them, and 7.6% answered they wanted “to start a business or become independent someday” — totaling 42.0%, a 11.5-point decrease from the previous year.
Analyzing the survey results, NCB Research & Consulting stated, “Amid an increased level of satisfaction with current companies, the results reflect a growing preference for stability.”
(Japanese original by Yuko Shimada, Business News Department)
