Talent Acquisition Trends for Q3 2017

Tokyo -- October 31 -- Robert Walters Japan reported the hiring trends for bilingual talent in response to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s announcement of Employment Referrals for General Workers statistics for September 2017.

• Securing bilingual professionals is a priority topic amidst the acceleration of global & cross-border business
• Demand is growing for technology professionals and data analysts with the expanding introduction of BIM, HR tech, and agritech
• IT Professions: Expanding promotion of work-style initiatives such as remote working, enhancement of training/reskilling programmes, and reform of assessment standards

The effective job openings-to-applicants ratio announced today by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare for September 2017 was 1.52, which matched last month’s figure. While a labour shortage continued in a wide range of job categories in the third quarter of fiscal year 2017 (July 1 – September 29), the practical development of global and cross-border business accelerated among both domestic Japanese enterprises and foreign companies in accordance with the progress of globalization and the evolution of technology. In response, there was particularly strong growth in the demand for bilingual professionals, and the ability to acquire talented, bilingual professionals with skills and experience in specialized fields is becoming a factor that can determine the future success of many companies.

David Swan, the Managing Director of Robert Walters Japan, comments, “Technologies such as AI, robotics and IoT continue to be introduced in fields where there are particularly glaring labour shortages. There is steady growth of building information modelling (BIM) in construction and civil engineering works, HR tech in human resource recruiting, and agritech in agriculture. Accordingly, the demand is rapidly growing for technology professionals involved in technology development, operations and security, and data analysis. There are few technology professionals in the labour market with specialized skills for each field, however, and mismatches are often seen between the talent pool and recruitment demand.”

“There is also vigorous recruitment of digital marketing professionals in e-commerce fields such as retail and online travel agencies ahead of the holiday season (year-end & New Year).”

Mr. Swan continued, “While the labour shortage is accelerating with the decline of the working population, global business activities such as cross-border M&As and overseas sales are expanding at many companies. This is  leading to fierce competition to acquire bilingual professionals who are not only proficient in both English and Japanese, but also possess specific expertise. As the supply of professionals with this type of skill set does not meet the demand, there is a trend of rising proposed salary levels in the informal offers made to those looking to change jobs. Additionally, there are also increasing attempts to lure applicants by promoting merits related to working styles, such as remote working, the enhancement of training / reskilling programmes, and the reform of assessment standards. This movement is expected to further expand from the fourth quarter of 2017.”

About Robert Walters Japan  (https://www.robertwalters.co.jp/)

Robert Walters was established in London, United Kingdom, in 1985. It is a specialist recruitment consultancy, and has offices in the key cities of 28 countries around the world.  Robert Walters Japan is the Japanese subsidiary of Robert Walters. The Tokyo office was established in 2000, and the Osaka office in 2007. We provide recruitment consultation services for full-time regular employees as well as dispatch and contract employees. The strength of Robert Walters Japan lies in our expertise in bilingual specialists (professionals who are proficient mainly in English and Japanese), and we have the world’s largest database for bilingual specialists with experience, knowledge, and skills in various professional fields.  We also recommend specialists to a wide range of client companies, from leading global corporations to newly established companies, as well as small and medium-sized enterprises. Our expert consultants who are familiar with each industry work in teams to provide recruitment consultation services across a wide range of industries and job categories.

To request further information, please contact PR executive on 03-4570-1500 or info@robertwalters.co.jp