Japan firms start job interviews with university students

June 1, 2019

Tokyo--Major companies in Japan started interviews and written tests on Saturday to hire university students expected to graduate in spring 2020.

The job market situation has been increasingly favorable to the students' side as companies are facing serious labor shortages.

Asahi Breweries Ltd. and Asahi Soft Drinks Co., both units of Asahi Group Holdings Ltd. <2502>, held the first round of job interviews with students.

"There are many students who are already fully prepared for job hunting including by participating in internship programs to gather information early," said an Asahi Soft Drinks official in charge of hiring.

"I don't feel that the job market is favorable to the students' side when it comes to major companies. I'll do my best to make them get to know me properly," a 22-year-old male student said after his interview.

A survey by Disco Inc., an employment information vendor, shows that 29 pct of roughly 1,100 companies plan to increase hiring from a year before. Especially, companies with more than 1,000 employees are eager to hire more, Disco said.

Under these circumstances, companies have been enhancing their internship programs or started job interviews with students earlier than Saturday, or June 1, the date suggested under hiring guidelines set by the Japan Business Federation, or Keidanren.

"Eight out of nine students in my laboratory had received informal job offers as of early May," said a 23-year-old male student majoring in mechanical engineering in Tokyo.

Many of companies that start interviews with students in line with the Keidanren guidelines are expected to issue informal job offers by early June, sources familiar with the situation said. Jiji Press