Employment 'ice age' shows no signs of thawing - The Mainichi Daily News
The employment "ice age" shows no signs of improvement with only 68.8 percent of those graduating from university this coming spring having received informal job offers, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology has announced.
The number of senior college students who had found jobs before Dec. 1 declined by 4.3 points from a year earlier to 68.8 percent, hitting a record low since the ministry started collecting such data in 1996.
The figure also dropped by 2.1 points for those graduating from junior college in March, with only 45.3 percent having received unofficial job offers by December last year, again the worst result since 1996.
In 2009, the placement rate among new university graduates was 91.8 percent at the end of the academic year in March, while it was 88.4 percent among new junior college graduates. The ministry said a larger number of college and junior college students may finish school this spring with no job prospects.
The survey revealed 76.7 percent of national and public university students in their final year had received job offers by December 2010, marking the second lowest figure on record, while students at private universities experienced the worst-ever employment situation, with only 66.3 percent offered work.
At national and public universities, the number of graduating students with job prospects was 75.4 percent among males and 78.1 percent among females -- the second and the sixth lowest levels for each group, respectively. The results turned out to be the worst on record for both male and female students at private universities, at 68.4 and 63.9 percent, respectively.
The figure was also the lowest for students in both humanities and science courses, with each remaining at a low of 68.3 percent and 71.3 percent, correspondingly.
Similarly, students at technical colleges and special vocational schools each experienced a year-on-year drop of 2.2 points and 2.6 points to 94.7 percent and 54.1 percent, respectively.
The results suggest that about 130,000 out of all 430,000 job seekers who are graduating from universities and junior colleges in spring remain without job prospects, a ministry official said.
By region, schools in the Kanto, Chubu and Kinki regions saw the placement rate as of December plunge to hit a record low of 72.1 percent, 61.7 percent and 71 percent, respectively. The figure was 63.1 percent for Kyushu, 64.7 percent for Chugoku and Shikoku and 69.9 percent for Hokkaido and the Tohoku region. All of these regions experienced one of the worst results on record.
In particular, the Chubu area suffered a significant year-on-year decline of 8 points, likely after local businesses affiliated with Toyota Motor Corp. restricted the hiring of new recruits for next fiscal year.
As part of its efforts to alleviate job scarcity, the ministry has held a series of meetings between universities and companies since last November, but any effect has yet to show in figures.
"Companies are looking for adaptable new employees. However, as the lengthy job-hunting process prevents students from focusing on their studies, an increasing number of individuals are trying to get a job without sufficient knowledge, causing a vicious cycle," an education official said.
The survey covered a total of 6,250 students at 112 educational institutes, including 62 universities, 20 junior colleges and 10 technical colleges.
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