Japanese Firms Look Ahead: Remaining Steady

Job Growth for Japan: Young Japanese workers should feel somewhat optimistic heading into 2009. According to a survey of 100 major employers by Japanese newspaper The Asahi Shimbun, about one in three plan to recruit more graduates—an indication that, despite economic uncertainty, demand for talent remains robust.

Nearly half plan to keep hiring at levels similar to this spring. Although companies say they’ll maintain recruiting levels, the devil is in the details. In A 2007 survey, 41 percent said they expected to increase recruitment of students from high schools, colleges and other educational institutions in Japan. In the most recent results, the number of firms planning to intensify recruiting declined to 30 percent. McDonald’s Corp., Mitsubishi Materials Corp., Nissan Motor Co., Toshiba Corp., and Sharp Corp. are among the major companies that participated in the survey.