Baitoru NEXT reveals number of job openings for full-time and part-time positions in April; big leap of 269% in nursing & care, drivers up by 60% year-on-year

Applying for a job that’s growing in demand is a good way to find a full-time or part-time position. Bitoru NEXT, a part-time and full-time position job posting website operated by DIP Corporation, released the total number of job openings in 2019 April, along with a detailed report about the most in-demand occupations of the moment.

According to the report, the number of job postings in April for part-time and full-time nationwide was about 26,000, a decrease of 6.1% compared with the previous month, but an increase of 22.9% compared with the same month of the previous year.

The occupations that experienced the greatest increase since last year were in the service industry (121.5%), transport, packaging and cleaning industries (93.0%), and other specialist occupations (57.9%).

Among the specialist occupations, nursing and nursing care postings saw a big leap by 269% compared to last year. Nursing and nursing care in Japan are currently facing a serious labor shortage. A more serious manpower shortage is expected to hit Japan in 2025 when baby boomers born between 1947 and 1949 will turn 75. To make up for this gap in the workplace, nursing care job postings are increasing and are being opened up to inexperienced candidates with the intention of promoting recruitment and training for new employees.

Within the transport, packaging and cleaning industries, shipping, driver and delivery job postings saw the biggest leap by 60% compared to last year. The growth of online shopping, as well as the lack of young drivers, prompted the pressing demand for drivers, and has resulted in the increase in job postings. As for the job postings for drivers, the number of applicants per company is increasing. While low wages and long working hours were known to be the source of driver shortage, the delivery industry as a whole is working toward more sustainable working conditions. In addition, many companies have loosened their requirement of applicants and started accepting those without qualifications and experience, which may explain the increase of applicants.

In conclusion, now is the perfect time to look for a job due to the growing demand in the labor market. Therefore, it might be a good idea to keep these results in mind, so that you have a better chance of getting a job.