Survey on the Actual Work of HR Professionals in Large Japanese Companies: A Shift from the Common Sense of "In-house HR"

The intensifying competition for talent and the diversification of work styles are expanding the roles required of HR departments. Meanwhile, the tasks of HR personnel are becoming more complex, making productivity improvement and operational efficiency crucial challenges. Gourica Inc. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Kensuke Okamoto; hereinafter "Gourica"), which aims to improve productivity in the Japanese business world with the vision of "Making the world freer and richer through rationalization that supports people," conducted a "Survey on the Use of Work Time and Productivity" targeting business professionals (companies with 1,000 or more employees) working in large Japanese companies. This time, we focused on HR roles from the survey results to explore the actual situation regarding the use of work time and productivity.

The survey results revealed that non-core tasks account for 52.5% of HR department work time, with "specialized routine tasks" making up the largest proportion at 29.0% among the surveyed job types. On the other hand, 46.8% of HR professionals recognize specialized routine tasks as "tasks that should inherently be standardized and yield the same results," suggesting that many tasks have room for efficiency improvement and standardization.

Furthermore, 83.5% of HR professionals experience "learning and correction costs" in specialized routine tasks, and 87.5% of managers responded that they want to increase their subordinates' core work time, indicating a high level of awareness regarding the challenges of the current workload.

Against this backdrop, 61.9% of HR professionals responded that "systematization" is necessary to reduce specialized routine tasks. Additionally, 81.3% responded that "it is more rational to leave it to experts or external tools," and 79.1% supported outsourcing tasks to specialized teams, showing high expectations for operational efficiency through the utilization of external resources and technology.

These results suggest that HR departments strongly recognize the need for standardization, systematization, and external utilization to reduce the burden of specialized routine tasks and shift towards core tasks.

Summary of Survey Results

- HR professionals have the highest proportion of specialized routine tasks, with over half of their work time spent on non-core tasks. HR professionals spend 52.5% of their work time on non-core tasks, of which specialized routine tasks account for 29.0%, the highest among the surveyed job types. The survey revealed that HR departments spend a significant amount of time on tasks other than strategic work that they should ideally focus on.

- Approximately 60% of HR professionals recognize that specialized routine tasks can be standardized. 46.8% of HR professionals responded that specialized routine tasks are "tasks that should inherently be standardized and yield the same results." Including "tasks that do not require special skills and can be performed by anyone with sufficient time," this figure reaches 63.3%, indicating that many tasks are considered to have room for standardization and efficiency improvement.

- Over 80% of HR professionals experience learning and correction costs; 87.5% of managers wish to increase core work time. 83.5% of HR professionals reported experiencing "learning and correction costs," such as research and rework, in specialized routine tasks. Furthermore, 87.5% of HR managers responded that they want to increase their subordinates' core work time, suggesting that reducing the burden associated with specialized routine tasks is a significant challenge.

- HR departments have high expectations for systematization, utilization of experts, and external resources. 61.9% of HR professionals responded that "systematization" is necessary to reduce specialized routine tasks. Moreover, 81.3% responded that "it is more rational to leave it to experts or external tools," and 79.1% supported outsourcing tasks to specialized teams, revealing a strong desire within HR departments to improve efficiency by utilizing external resources and technology rather than handling all tasks internally.

Based on these results, it is clear that while the burden of specialized routine tasks and learning/correction costs are major challenges for HR departments, there is a strong inclination towards solutions through standardization, systematization, and external utilization. Amidst rising expectations for human capital management, it is evident that streamlining specialized routine tasks and optimizing task allocation are crucial themes for HR departments to focus more on strategic work.

Definitions of Each Task (Classification in this Survey)

[1] Over Half of Work Time is Non-Core Tasks; HR Professionals Have the Highest Proportion of Specialized Routine Tasks Compared to Other Job Types Analysis of the composition of business professionals' work time revealed that "core tasks" accounted for 48.8%, "specialized routine tasks" for 25.7%, and "routine tasks" for 25.5%. Non-core tasks, combining "specialized routine tasks" and "routine tasks," accounted for 51.2%, indicating that approximately half of work time is spent on tasks other than high-value-added work that should ideally be the focus.

Focusing on HR professionals, the results were 47.5% for "core tasks," 29.0% for "specialized routine tasks," and 23.5% for "routine tasks." While the overall proportion of non-core tasks (52.5%) did not show a significant difference from the overall average (51.2%), the proportion of "specialized routine tasks" was the highest among the surveyed job types.

Looking at job types, sales roles had the highest "core tasks" at 56.2%, with non-core tasks at 43.8%. In contrast, corporate planning roles were nearly balanced with 50.4% core tasks and 49.6% non-core tasks, while corporate marketing roles had over half of their non-core tasks at 52.6%. While there are differences in work composition depending on the job type, HR roles were characterized by a particularly high proportion of specialized routine tasks.

[2] 46.8% of HR Professionals Respond That Specialized Routine Tasks Should Be "Standardized"; Highest Among All Job Types When business professionals were asked about their perception of current "specialized routine tasks," 36.6% identified them as "highly specialized tasks that can only be done due to an individual's experience or internal network," 40.0% as "tasks that should inherently be standardized and yield the same results," and 23.4% as "tasks that do not require special skills and can be performed by anyone with sufficient time." Combining "tasks that should inherently be standardized and yield the same results" and "tasks that do not require special skills and can be performed by anyone with sufficient time" revealed that 63.4% of specialized routine tasks are perceived as standardizable.

Focusing on HR professionals, the proportion who responded "tasks that should inherently be standardized and yield the same results" was 46.8%, the highest among all job types. Furthermore, including "tasks that do not require special skills and can be performed by anyone with sufficient time" (16.5%), approximately 60% (63.3%) of specialized routine tasks are perceived as standardizable.

On the other hand, the proportion who responded "highly specialized tasks that can only be done due to an individual's experience or internal network" was 36.7%. Among job types, sales roles (66.8%) and corporate marketing roles (60.8%) responded that tasks are standardizable, while HR roles were at a similar level to the overall average (63.4%).

These results suggest that while HR departments handle many tasks requiring specialized knowledge, many of them are not person-dependent and have room for efficiency improvement and standardization through process review, digitalization, and AI utilization.

[3] Approximately 60% of HR Professionals Respond That "Systematization" is Necessary to Reduce Specialized Routine Tasks; Highest Among All Job Types When business professionals were asked what is necessary to reduce "specialized routine tasks," the responses were: "Fundamentally review work processes and abolish the task itself" (27.1%), "Improve speed by enhancing personal administrative processing skills and tool utilization" (25.9%), "Reduce rework and errors by closely coordinating with colleagues" (23.6%), and "Automate tasks through BPO or introduction of external services" (23.4%).

For HR professionals, "Automate tasks through BPO or introduction of external services" was the highest among all job types at 33.8%. Combined with "Fundamentally review work processes and abolish the task itself" (28.1%), 61.9% sought solutions through systematization and standardization of tasks.

On the other hand, the proportion who chose solutions through individual skill improvement and on-site ingenuity, such as "Enhance personal administrative processing skills and tool utilization" (21.6%) and "Reduce rework and errors by closely coordinating with colleagues" (16.5%), was 38.1%.

Looking at job types, the proportion seeking solutions through systematization and standardization was highest for HR professionals at 61.9%, compared to sales roles (54.1%), corporate marketing roles (56.9%), and corporate planning roles (56.3%).

These results suggest that HR departments have a strong desire to reduce specialized routine tasks not through individual effort but by changing the system itself, such as by reviewing work processes and utilizing BPO and HR tech.

[4] 83.5% of HR Professionals Experience "Learning and Correction Costs" in Specialized Routine Tasks; Highest Level Among All Job Types When asked if they experience "learning and correction costs," such as research and rework, that should not normally occur for an expert in the task, 74.0% of the total responded "yes."

Looking at job types, HR professionals had the highest rate at 83.5%, exceeding corporate planning (82.5%), corporate marketing (75.5%), and sales (70.1%). The proportion who responded "often experience" was also the highest among all job types at 28.8%, revealing that the burden of learning and correction costs is particularly strong for HR professionals.

HR professionals are responsible for a wide range of tasks, including recruitment, labor management, HR system operation, and talent development. It is evident that costs such as research, confirmation, and rework occur even in the process of performing specialized routine tasks.

These results indicate that in addition to specialized routine tasks themselves, the learning and correction costs incurred during their execution are also a contributing factor to the workload for HR professionals.

[5] 87.5% of HR Managers Wish to Increase Subordinates' Core Work Time; Efficiency of Specialized Routine Tasks is a Challenge When managers were asked if they wish for their department members to spend more time on "core tasks" than they currently do, 77.3% of the total responded "wish to increase."

Looking at job types, HR professionals had the highest rate at 87.5%, exceeding corporate planning (82.8%), corporate marketing (78.8%), and sales (72.0%). The proportion who responded "strongly wish to increase" was also the highest among all job types at 34.6%, indicating high expectations for core tasks within HR departments.

In the previous question, it was revealed that 83.5% of HR professionals experience "learning and correction costs" in specialized routine tasks. Combined with these results, it is suggested that while time is spent on research, confirmation, and rework in HR departments, there are expectations to allocate more time to higher value-added core tasks.

[6] 81.3% of HR Professionals Respond That "It is More Rational to Leave It to Experts or External Tools" When asked if they feel that "it is more rational for the company to leave specialized routine tasks to experts or external tools who are more knowledgeable than oneself," 68.8% of the total responded "yes."

Looking at job types, HR professionals had the highest rate at 81.3%, exceeding corporate planning (74.6%), corporate marketing (73.5%), and sales (64.3%). The proportion who responded "often feel" was also the highest among all job types at 28.1%, revealing a strong tendency within HR departments to view the utilization of experts and external tools as rational.

Previous questions have shown that HR professionals have a high proportion of those seeking standardization and systematization of specialized routine tasks, and also bear a significant burden of learning and correction costs. These results suggest that HR departments are highly receptive to proceeding with specialized routine tasks by utilizing experts and external tools, rather than handling them solely within the department.

[7] 79.1% of HR Professionals Support Outsourcing Tasks to Specialized Teams; Expectations for Utilizing External Resources are High When asked about effective measures to solve "specialized routine tasks," the most common response overall was "Introduce systems and AI" (78.0%), followed by "Outsource to specialized teams that functionally divide expertise" (63.3%), "Solve through personal effort" (50.4%), and "Hire temporary staff or part-time workers" (43.5%).

Focusing on HR professionals, "Outsource to specialized teams that functionally divide expertise" was the highest among all job types at 79.1%. This is also a high level compared to sales roles (58.0%), corporate marketing roles (65.7%), and corporate planning roles (71.4%), indicating a high need for the utilization of specialized organizations within HR departments.

The proportion who responded "Hire temporary staff or part-time workers" was also the highest among all job types at 61.2%, exceeding the overall average (43.5%) by 17.7 percentage points. "Introduce systems and AI" also reached 89.2%, revealing high expectations for operational efficiency through the utilization of external personnel, specialized organizations, and technology among HR professionals.

Previous survey results showed that 81.3% of HR professionals responded that "it is more rational to leave it to experts or external tools," and this survey also confirmed a positive attitude towards utilizing external resources.

It is evident that HR departments have high expectations for improving efficiency by utilizing external resources and specialized organizations, rather than handling specialized routine tasks solely within the department.

Comment: Kensuke Okamoto, Representative Director, Gourica Inc. This survey revealed that specialized routine tasks account for a large proportion of work time in HR departments, and that many of these tasks are recognized as having room for standardization and efficiency improvement. Furthermore, many HR professionals experience the burden of learning and correction costs, indicating a sense of challenge regarding how work is conducted.

What was particularly impressive was that approximately 80% of HR professionals responded that "it is more rational to leave it to experts or external tools," and there was strong support for outsourcing tasks to specialized teams. Historically, HR tasks have tended to be handled in-house, as they were considered an area that should be managed by the company itself. However, these results show that HR professionals themselves strongly recognize the necessity of proceeding with tasks by utilizing experts and technology, rather than handling all tasks within their own department.

As the importance of human capital management grows, HR departments are increasingly expected to play roles that directly contribute to corporate growth, such as recruitment strategy, talent development, and organizational development. In recent years, the burden of new graduate and mid-career recruitment has increased due to worsening labor shortages and the diversification of recruitment methods, further straining HR departments.

On the other hand, it has also become clear that a significant amount of time is spent on specialized routine tasks and related work.

What is required of HR departments going forward is not to handle everything in-house, but to discern which tasks should be performed by humans and which can be systematized and standardized. We believe that creating an environment where HR professionals can concentrate on more strategic and value-added tasks by optimizing task allocation is important.

[Event Announcement]

Kana Hara, GOALY HR Division Manager/Senior Consultant at our company, will be a speaker at the "Mikiwame AI Premium Summit in Nagoya, 2026," a camp-style conference for executives and HR managers of large and listed companies, organized by Leading Mark Inc. The theme will be "Improving Labor Productivity in HR Departments," and we will introduce the support provided by our GOALY HR.

Event Details Event Name: Mikiwame AI Premium Summit in Nagoya, 2026 Organizer: Leading Mark Inc. Date: July 14, 2026 (Tuesday) Venue: Nagoya Kanko Hotel (1-19-30 Nishiki, Naka-ku, Nagoya, Aichi) Event Details: https://to.leadingmark.jp/mikiwameaipremium/lp/general/202607.html

[Survey Overview] Period: Late January 2026 Target: 1,020 business professionals in large Japanese companies (1,000 or more employees) Industry: Manufacturing/Logistics, Wholesale/Retail, Finance Job Type: Sales, Marketing, Planning, HR Position: Executive, Manager, Section Chief/Team Leader, General Employee

[About Gourica Inc.] Company Name: Gourica Inc. Tokyo Headquarters: MIYAMASU TOWER, 1-10-9 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Kansai Branch: 8F, JAM BASE, Grand Green Osaka North Tower, 6-38 Ofuka-cho, Kita-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Nagoya Branch: STATION Ai, 1-2-32 Tsurumai, Showa-ku, Nagoya City, Aichi Representative: Kensuke Okamoto Capital: 100 million yen Note: Conducted MBO with support from Femto Partners in June 2023, becoming independent from Konica Minolta Group https://gourica.co.jp/ [Business Description] Rationalization support in marketing, DX, and HR fields. We provide comprehensive support from issue analysis to the design, implementation, and operation of improvement measures for corporate challenges such as labor shortages and productivity improvement.

[Contact for Media Inquiries Regarding This Matter] Gourica Inc. Public Relations (c/o Kyodo Public Relations: Seyama, Ito, Murakami) MAIL: gourica-pr@kyodo-pr.co.jp