Market Overview

The graduate recruitment services market in Japan, comprising seven segments, reached 131,240 million yen, marking a 7.1% increase from the previous fiscal year. Market growth was driven by stable demand from companies for graduate recruitment and the resumption of face-to-face services, such as job fairs, which had stagnated during the pandemic. The market also grew due to companies' use of diversified recruitment methods to contact students early on to cope with the seller's market.

Noteworthy Topics

The Influence of Employment-Linked Internships on the Market

In April 2023, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW), and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) reached an agreement to revise the internship definition for graduates, effective in March 2025. This allows companies to use the information on students obtained from the internships they provide for recruitment activities. (However, the information on university graduates will only be available for the "Type 3 Internships for General and Specialized Skills," one of the internship types defined by the Industry-Academia Council on the Future of Recruitment and Higher Education.)

Against this backdrop, internships have become more important in recruitment activities. This research examined the positive impact of these internships on the graduate recruitment services market. For example, more companies are posting internship enrollment ads on job-hunting websites and participating in events to attract applicants. As internships become more important, companies expect graduate recruitment services to help attract internship applicants.

Trends in graduate recruitment after March 2026 are garnering attention as newly defined internships are set to be fully implemented.

Future Outlook

The graduate recruitment services market (a total of seven segments) is expected to reach 138,560 million yen in FY2023, a 5.6% year-over-year increase, and is expected to reach 145,970 million yen by FY2024, marking a 5.3% year-over-year increase.

As more companies become willing to hire recent graduates, there will be a high demand for graduate recruitment services. This is in response to the diversifying demand for recruitment methods and services. The market appears to be growing steadily by offering services that use digital technologies and attract various companies.

Research Outline