Japan: Support businesses in recruiting foreign students

The Ibaraki Prefectural Government recently established a group to promote the recruitment of foreign students, with members including Ibaraki University, Tsukuba University and local business groups. The group will organize events such as internship programs and company tours in the prefecture.

Earlier in May, the Kanagawa prefectural government also opened a consulting service to support companies in recruiting foreign students. The Osaka prefectural government has been holding similar networking events since last year. At an event held in August, 255 students from 27 countries and regions, mainly attending universities in the Kansai region, visited booths of participating companies.

Businesses and local governments in Japan are increasingly keen to attract foreign students, as recruitment demand continues to rise after the COVID-19 pandemic but faces difficulties due to the falling birthrate.

According to Recruit Co., a Japanese recruitment and human resources company, only 36.1% of companies that have hired graduates from the class of 2024 were able to meet their initial hiring targets. That figure is the lowest since the company began collecting data in 2012.

Takaishi Industry, headquartered in Ibaraki City, Osaka Prefecture, began participating in networking events hosted by the Osaka Prefectural Government last year. The company, which employs about 100 people, has four factories in Japan and Vietnam. Through a series of networking events hosted by the Osaka Prefectural Government this past spring, Takaishi Industry recruited two foreign students, including a Vietnamese graduate student from Osaka University.

Opening up opportunities for talented foreign students to further their careers at Japanese companies will help address the increasingly serious labor shortage and support the growth of companies in the prefecture, according to an official from the Osaka prefectural government.

According to data from the Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO) and other organizations, the rate of foreign students (excluding those pursuing higher education in Japan) finding jobs in the "Land of the Rising Sun" reached a record 53.3% in fiscal 2022.

However, Ai Ozawa, president of Vein Global, a company that helps international students find jobs, said many talented people are leaving Japan due to joblessness, despite being accustomed to life and wanting to work here.

According to a survey released by employment information company Career-tasu, Inc. in August, most foreign students, including those graduating in 2025, begin their job-hunting activities in April of their final year, about a year later than Japanese students. The survey also found that only 46.1 percent of foreign students participate in job-related activities such as internships, compared with 88.7 percent of Japanese students.

In order to help international students quickly access the recruitment and employment market in Japan, many universities have begun to carry out support activities for international students at all levels, including first-year students.

Waseda University is one such school. Waseda University officials say such activities are intended to help foreign students, as early as their first or second year, understand the difficulties involved in finding a job and the language proficiency they will need to work at Japanese companies, so that they can plan their studies and job search later.

To this end, Chuo University held an orientation session in May to help foreign students apply for internships when they enter their third year.

Professor Megumi Yuki of Gunma University said that the tripartite cooperation between local governments, universities, and industry, among others, helps many students find jobs and settle in Japan after completing their studies. This in turn creates compelling stories that attract the next generation to come to Japan to pursue their studies, creating a virtuous cycle.