76.1% of new university graduates secure Jobs

August 3, 2017

TOKYO- Of some 570,000 spring 2017 Japanese university graduates, 432,088, or 76.1 percent, have found jobs, the highest percentage in 24 years, a report by the education ministry showed Thursday.

The figure was up 1.4 percentage points from a year earlier, extending the rising streak to a seventh year after a drop to 60.8 percent in 2010 in the aftermath of the global financial crisis.

The growth was due to a shortage of labor brought on by an economic recovery, a ministry official said.

According to the preliminary report, 413,746, or 72.9 percent, of the new university graduates secured regular employment.

On the other hand, 3.2 percent became nonregular employees, including contract and temporary workers, and 1.6 percent were part-timers, both down 0.2 point.

Those who went on to graduate schools numbered 67,709, making up 11.9 percent, down 0.2 point to mark a drop for the seventh consecutive year.

New university graduates who neither entered graduate schools nor found jobs accounted for 7.8 percent, declining 0.9 point.

The report also showed that 54.8 percent of spring 2017 high school graduates entered universities or junior colleges. Of those who advanced to higher education, a record 49.6 percent, up 0.3 point, became university students. Jiji Press