At a press conference on September 3rd, the chairman of the Japan Business Federation (or Keidanren), Mr. Nakanishi unveiled a plan to abolish rules previously set by Keidanren, which effects students joining companies from the spring of 2021 onwards. Such rules include when companies can start their job interviews.
Mr. Nakanishi, being careful to insist that this be viewed as his own personal opinion, raised questions about the need for Keidanren to determine the period of recruitment, as the conventional form of Japanese employment practices, such as lifetime employment or simultaneous recruiting of new graduates have been re-evaluated to reflect the changes over time.
Currently, Keidanren asks its member companies to follow the guidelines set regarding recruitment such as a ban on holding job fairs in March and on starting early recruiting in June.
It has been criticized, however, that talented personnel are being attracted to work at foreign-affiliated companies, non-members of Keidanren, which do not need to follow these set guidelines.
On the other hand, if the ban on certain recruitment practices is lifted, universities as well as the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) could voice strong opposition to the proposed changes. They may express their concerns that, if the rules are abolished, companies aiming to acquire talented students will start their recruiting earlier, therefore extending the period of recruitment, which might result in an adverse effect on students’ studies.
If you are a student graduating in 2021, it would be a good idea to keep a close eye on the potential future changes regarding conventional Japanese recruitment procedures.
jopus Editorial Dep.
