For the new president of Keidanren, (Japan’s Business Federation) there is no doubt whatsoever that Japan’s graduate recruitment system (the Shukatsu system), which has been operating since 1953 is out-of-date and shouldn’t be used beyond March 2021. The employers’ body sees this as a significant problem because companies that are not members of Keidanren, especially SMEs, ‘are not respecting the rules and snagging the best talent ahead of the others’. Opposing the call for an overhaul of Shukatsu, universities and government have come together to review the situation.
A system geared towards promoting homogeneity. The conventional Japanese university cursus takes four years to complete with the final year being key as regards jobs hunting and recruitment. Formal hiring commences on 01 April, as it corresponds with the start of both the fiscal year and the academic year. As such new employees are hired at the same time and come from the same age cohort.
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