Over 97 percent of Japan's new univ. graduates employed amid labor shortage

Kyodo -- May 26

Over 97 percent of new university graduates in Japan found jobs this spring, up 1.5 points from the previous year for the first rise in three years, reflecting a labor shortage as the economy recovers from the coronavirus pandemic, the government said Friday.

A total of 97.3 percent of graduates who sought jobs were employed as of April 1, the third highest figure on record since 1997, when the government started collecting data, according to the labor and education ministries.

"On the back of workforce shortages, companies' job offers are strong, with some appearing more willing to hire than before the coronavirus pandemic," said an official at the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. ...continue reading