Keidanren Seeking Talks on Review of Grad Hiring Rules

September 5, 2018

Tokyo- The Japan Business Federation is arranging talks with the government and universities to review its guidelines on the hiring of university graduates, it was learned Wednesday.

The biggest Japanese business lobby, known as Keidanren, hopes to discuss whether to introduce year-round recruitment for university students to be hired in spring 2021 or later, along with revisions to the current hiring rules, informed sources said.

Earlier this week, Keidanren Chairman Hiroaki Nakanishi expressed the group's hope to abolish the guidelines on the recruiting schedule for member companies.

Keidanren hopes to kick off full-fledged talks with the education ministry and organizations linked to universities at an early stage, the sources said.

At a news conference on Wednesday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the government is ready to listen to what Keidanren has to say on the issue.

Currently, Keidanren's guidelines call for member companies to start explanatory sessions with prospective university graduates in March and job interviews in June.

This schedule, aimed at giving university students more time to focus on academics, will remain in place until the spring 2020 hiring.

But the hiring rule could disadvantage Keidanren member companies in the competition for human resources with nonmember businesses, such as foreign companies.

Also, the guidelines have been regarded by some as being a dead letter as there is no penalty for breaching them.

Among officials of companies and universities as well as students, there are pros and cons to the review of the regulations on recruiting activities.

Within the government, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Hiroshige Seko has said that he "would welcome" the review if it is meant to discuss the advisability of year-round recruitment. Finance Minister Taro Aso has said that the review "deserves consideration." Jiji Press