Mynavi report highlights rising demand for mid-career management in Japan

Mynavi Corporation has released its 2026 Mid-career Recruitment Status Survey, conducted among 1,600 recruitment professionals across Japan. The report reveals that 43.5% of companies are experiencing a shortage of full-time employees. While shortages among general staff remain high, there has been a notable increase in the perceived lack of management-level personnel compared to 2021.

Regarding recruitment trends, the survey found that while many applicants are inexperienced, companies are increasingly successful in hiring experienced professionals for mid-career roles. Over half of the companies surveyed (54.8%) conducted mid-career recruitment specifically for management positions, a significant increase from 38.1% in 2021. Approximately 74.2% of companies expressed satisfaction with these management hires, citing the ability to secure immediate, high-quality talent.

Despite improvements in satisfaction regarding the quantity and quality of hires, companies continue to face challenges such as low applicant quality, high turnover rates shortly after joining, and difficulties in securing a sufficient pool of candidates.