Japan recruitment trends show shifting roles due to AI

Recent surveys in Japan highlight a significant shift in recruitment strategies driven by the integration of generative AI. A study by Neo Career involving 328 hiring managers revealed that 70.7% of companies believe AI could lead to a reduction in new graduate hiring. Among those expecting a reduction, marketing (49.2%), customer success/support (38.7%), and sales (38.2%) were the most affected roles.

Conversely, companies are looking to strengthen hiring in marketing (33.5%), sales (33.2%), and IT/system development engineering (31.4%), suggesting a reevaluation of job roles rather than a simple decrease in headcount. Regarding candidate qualities, communication skills (31.1%) have become the top requirement, followed by teamwork (30.2%). Additionally, 84.8% of employers now place importance on a student's AI skills or experience.

Separately, research by JITSUGYO focusing on Gen Z job seekers found that 70.9% have used generative AI for job hunting. However, 26% of these seekers struggle with information credibility, citing difficulty in knowing which information to trust during company research. While official corporate websites remain the most used source, the rise of 'AI job hunting' necessitates that companies provide clear, verifiable, and well-organized information to assist both human applicants and AI-driven searches.