Persol Research and Consulting Announces "Working Social Listening (Second Half of FY2025)" — "Black-Ink Restructuring" Ranks First in Post Growth Rate, Workforce Reductions Amidst Profitability Become a Major Topic

Persol Research and Consulting Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Koto-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and President: Ryo Iwata) announced "Working Social Listening (Second Half of FY2025)," which visualizes trends in topics related to "work" based on the authentic voices of consumers. (Analysis period: October 2025 - March 2026) This survey continuously collects and analyzes posts related to "work" (sampling data) obtained from 100,000 domestic social media platforms, including SNS, blogs, review sites, and bulletin boards, and has been conducted regularly since 2023. The analysis for the second half of FY2025 revealed that "black-ink restructuring" ranked first in the post growth rate, with the trend of workforce reductions progressing even in companies with stable performance rapidly spreading on social media. Furthermore, discussions surrounding foreign labor, work styles, employment, and gender have expanded, increasing interest in structural issues concerning the nature of employment and systems. ■ Post Growth Rate Trend for FY2024-2025 (Top 10 Words) *Topics with over 5,000 mentions in the second half of FY2025. Mentions: Number of posts containing the keyword. If used multiple times in one post, each instance is counted. ■ Top 10 Words by Post Growth Rate in the Second Half of FY2025 (Details) Topics with a high post growth rate compared to the same period last year in the second half of FY2025. *Topics with over 5,000 mentions in the second half of FY2025. Mentions: Number of posts containing the keyword. If used multiple times in one post, each instance is counted. There may be differences in ranking due to decimal values. ■ Top Words by Post Growth Rate in the Second Half of FY2025 (Top 11-20) ■ Pick-up Trends in the Second Half of FY2025 Selected topics with a high post growth rate compared to the same period last year in the second half of FY2025. 1. "Work Style Reform" Review and Discussion on Revising Working Hour Regulations Become Hot Topics ✓ Amidst discussions on institutional revisions concerning long working hours and freedom of work style, the ideal state of work-life balance has once again become a topic of conversation. ✓ Companies and management are concerned about the side effects of excessive "white company" practices due to work style reforms, with "difficulty in nurturing talent" and "burden on managers" being discussed. ✓ On the other hand, individuals are once again raising issues such as physical and mental health problems, karoshi (death from overwork), and burnout due to long working hours, highlighting a confrontational structure. These topics are likely to continue to attract attention in FY2026. 2. Discussions on "Acceptance of Foreign Workers" Become Contentious ✓ Amidst severe labor shortages, the entire system surrounding foreign labor has attracted social attention. ✓ Particularly in the second half of FY2025, topics such as the suspension of new acceptances under specific skills in the restaurant industry and moves to review the positioning of highly skilled professionals overlapped, leading to heated public debate over the conflicting opinions of "who and how many to accept." ✓ Despite this, on-site labor shortages continue, and Japan is at a watershed moment for its future labor policy. 3. Increased Mentions of "Gender Gap and Women's Empowerment" ✓ The birth of a female prime minister was a symbolic event, leading to positive evaluations of breaking the glass ceiling, but also widespread caution about the "glass cliff," where women are burdened with responsibility in difficult situations. ✓ The annually announced Gender Gap Index also re-visualized Japan's lagging progress, making the effectiveness of "women's empowerment" a renewed point of contention during this period. ✓ Furthermore, with the revision of the Women's Empowerment Promotion Act strengthening disclosure obligations for companies, businesses are also required to update their measures in practice. ■ Top Words by Post Decrease Rate in the Second Half of FY2025 Topics with a high post decrease rate compared to the same period last year in the second half of FY2025. ✓ The 1.06 million yen wall / 1.03 million yen wall The traditional income tax and social insurance thresholds have significantly changed their meaning due to tax reforms. A certain degree of resolution has progressed, and the frequency of discussion has decreased. ✓ The 2025 Problem The "2025 Problem" is a general term for various social issues that will arise when all baby boomers (approximately 8 million people) turn 75 or older. The period of alarm has passed, and the amount of mentions has significantly decreased. ● When citing this survey, please credit "Persol Research and Consulting" as the source. ● Due to rounding off the second decimal place, the sum of individual aggregated values may not necessarily be 100%. ■ Survey Overview ■ About Persol Research and Consulting Co., Ltd. Persol Research and Consulting, as a think tank and consulting firm of the Persol Group, conducts research, organizational HR consulting, and human resource development and education support.