Japan’s New Univ. Graduate Employment Rate Holds at 98 Pct

Tokyo, May 22 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s university graduate employment rate stood at 98.0 pct as of April 1, matching the year-earlier level, which was the second-highest on record, according to government survey data released Friday. The data from the labor and education ministries underscore a persistent hiring appetite among companies and a favorable job market for university students. By gender, the employment rate for those who graduated from university in March stood at 97.5 pct for men and 98.7 pct for women. By academic discipline, humanities or social science graduates posted 98.0 pct, and science graduates logged 98.1 pct. “Job openings continued to outstrip job seekers,” a labor ministry official said, citing the country’s shrinking and aging population. By university location, the employment rate rose for universities in the Kinki, Chugoku-Shikoku western regions and the Kyushu southwestern region, but fell in the Hokkaido-Tohoku northern region, the Kanto eastern region and the Chubu central region. The Chugoku-Shikoku western region logged the highest rate at 98.9 pct. The employment rate measures the share of job seekers who secured work. The survey covered 4,770 graduates from 62 national, public and private universities across Japan. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]