Japan boasts 98% employment rate for university graduates
As of April 1, 98% of new university graduates seeking jobs were employed, matching last year’s rate and marking the second-highest rate on record, the labor ministry said Friday, Qazinform News Agency reports, citing Kyodo.
The figure indicates ongoing demand for students, with an official from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare stating that the labor shortage is linked to factors such as the country’s declining birthrate and aging population.
Labor minister Kenichiro Ueno stated at a press conference that many firms are aggressive in hiring.
In Japan, April marks the start of the academic and fiscal year for many educational institutions and companies.
Government data collected since 1997 show that the highest employment rate for university graduates was 98.1% in 2024.
The ministry stated that the employment rate for men was 97.5%, down 0.1 percentage point, while for women it rose 0.2 percentage points to a record high of 98.7%.
The survey included graduates from 62 public and private universities.
The employment rate for science students increased to 98.1% from the previous year, while it decreased for humanities students to 98%.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that the estimated population of children under 15 in Japan stood at 13.29 million as of April 1, down for the 45th straight year, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
