Report on Employment Trends for Q3

Robert Walters Japan (Head Office: Shibuya, Tokyo. Managing Director: David Swan) is a recruitment consultancy specializing in bilingual professionals who are able to provide support for the globalization of Japanese corporations as well as to foreign corporations seeking to expand their businesses into Japan. We summarize data announced by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare for each quarter, and release this data alongside our views.

The effective job opening-to-application ratio for September released on 28 October by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare was 1.38, a 0.01 point rise when compared to the previous month. The average ratio for the three-month period from July to September was 1.37.

In the third quarter of 2016, an increase in the number of overseas visitors to Japan and other factors led to high ratios across the accommodation and an increase in the number of newly available jobs for food service industries (September saw a 17.1% increase), while labour shortages also continued in the construction industry (a 10.2% increase) and in healthcare and welfare (10.2% increase).

Looking at ratios by job category, the effective job opening-to-application ratio for professional and technical positions such as construction/civil/surveying engineers (4.70) and information processing/communications engineers (2.35) continued to be in high demand. Construction-related jobs have continued to see particularly high job opening-to-application ratios as a result of demand relating to repairs to ageing facilities, disaster recovery efforts, and the construction of Tokyo Olympics-related facilities. Web-related specialists such as web engineers were also in high demand. Movement of professionals between industries is increasing amongst IoT (Internet of Things) and ICT (information and communications technology) specialists as well as financial analysts and similar positions, as the barriers between industries are becoming increasingly less significant. Job search requests that we receive also involve an increasing number of people shifting into new industries.

Sales-related jobs also continue to see labour shortages and the needs of the retail/wholesale industry are strengthening across a wide range of areas. In healthcare-related fields, the demand for MRs (medical representative) at CROs (contract research organization)s is particularly notable. Eagerness to recruit sales staff is also increasing at trade-related companies and media companies.

Comments by David Swan, Managing Director of Robert Walters Japan:

“The second half of 2016 is seeing a continuation of the labour shortage trends seen over a wide range of job categories in the first half of the year. In the “job movers market”, along with the increase in the number of job offers, job seekers have also become more proactive in their job hunting activities. In the fourth quarter, companies are expected to shift into high gear with their recruitment activities to secure personnel who can begin working at the start of the year, and job seekers are expected to become more proactive with their job hunting activities after having received their winter bonuses.

The demand for mid- to senior- level recruits over the age of 35 is increasing, and there are an increasing number of companies looking to recruit experienced professionals who are able to hit the ground running. With the continuing trend toward greater globalization at Japanese companies and the entry of increasing numbers of foreign-owned companies into the market, the demand for professionals with English and/or other language skills is also growing”.

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