Japan Data

New Graduate Employment Rate Rises Again

Society Work

The employment rate among university students who graduated in the spring of 2019 rose 0.9 percentage points to 78.0%.

Among the 572,640 university students who graduated in the spring of fiscal 2019, 446,887 have already secured employment, according to the preliminary findings of the School Basic Survey issued by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology. This 78.0% rate is a 0.9 percentage point increase over the previous fiscal year.

It marks the ninth consecutive annual increase since fiscal 2011, when the rate plummeted due to the financial crisis, reflecting how the eagerness of businesses to hire new young workers has improved the employment situation.

Among college graduates who secured employment, 430,964, or 75.3%, were hired as regular, permanent employees, a 1.2 percentage point increase compared to the previous fiscal year. Nonregular employees in full-time contract or dispatch positions accounted for 2.8% of the total, numbering 15,923.

A total of 65,351 students, or 11.4% of all graduates, enrolled in graduate school or attended an overseas university or other institution, while 38,229 (6.7%) were neither seeking employment nor enrolling in further study, and 8,165 (1.4%) found temporary jobs as part-time workers.

The retail and wholesale sector was the most common destination, at 15.3% of those who secured jobs, followed by the healthcare and social welfare sector at 12.7%, the manufacturing industry at 12.1%, and the information and communication industry at 10.4%. 

Industries Hiring 2019 University Graduates

Overall Men Women
Construction 4.6% 6.6% 2.6%
Manufacturing 12.1% 14.7% 9.5%
Information and communications 10.4% 12.2% 8.7%
Retail/wholesale 15.3% 15.9% 14.7%
Finance/insurance 6.8% 6.1% 7.5%
Education/learning support 7.3% 5.6% 9.0%
Healthcare/social welfare 12.7% 6.1% 19.3%
Service 6.1% 6.8% 5.3%
Civil service 6.1% 7.3% 4.8%
Other 18.6% 18.7% 18.6%

Compiled by Nippon.com based on the School Basic Survey published by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology.

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo: Shiseido President and CEO Uotani Masahiko addressing new employees at the 2019 orientation ceremony held on April 1 in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture. © Jiji.)

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