LAFOOL Inc. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Keita Yuki; hereinafter LAFOOL) is pleased to announce that its recruitment aptitude test, 'TEKIKAKU,' has achieved first place in all three categories – General, Large-scale, and Medium-scale – within the aptitude testing division of the 'IT Trend First Half Ranking 2026,' announced by IT Trend, a comparison and inquiry site for IT products.

In an era where recruitment mismatches and early employee turnover are significant business challenges, 'TEKIKAKU,' which contributes to the retention and performance of prospective employees, has garnered considerable interest from many companies. LAFOOL aims to provide comprehensive support from before hiring through to post-hire success (recruitment → adaptation → retention → performance) by leveraging 'TEKIKAKU' as an entry point, combined with 'LAFOOL Survey' for visualizing organizational status, 'LAFOOL Management' for supporting behavioral changes in managers, and consulting services.

Award Details

The recruitment aptitude test 'TEKIKAKU' secured first place in the following three categories within the aptitude testing division of the 'IT Trend First Half Ranking 2026':

Awarded Category

Result

General (Aptitude Testing)

1st Place

Large-scale (Aptitude Testing / 100+ Employees)

1st Place

Medium-scale (Aptitude Testing / Under 100 Employees)

1st Place

Achieving first place in the overall ranking of the aptitude testing division, regardless of company size, demonstrates that 'TEKIKAKU' is attracting interest from a wide range of companies, both large and small.

About the 'IT Trend First Half Ranking 2026'

The 'IT Trend First Half Ranking 2026,' released on June 26, 2026, is a ranking that introduces products that received the most inquiries (document requests) from users during the first half of 2026, categorized by IT Trend. The ranking results are based on the number of document requests collected from January 1 to May 31, 2026.

IT Trend First Half Ranking 2026 (Aptitude Testing Division): https://it-trend.jp/award/2026-firsthalf/aptitude_test

Why is the Aptitude Test 'TEKIKAKU' Being Chosen Now?

Employees are hired, but they leave soon after. They don't perform as expected and then resign. Many companies are currently facing this 'recruitment mismatch.'

The background to this is the worsening labor shortage. In April 2026, the effective job opening ratio was 1.18, and for regular employees alone, it was 0.99, making talent acquisition difficult (Source: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, 'General Employment Situation,' April 2026). In 2025, bankruptcies due to labor shortages reached a record high of 427 cases, with 124 cases triggered by employee resignations, the highest since data collection began (Source: Teikoku Databank, 'Survey on Trends in Bankruptcies Due to Labor Shortages,' published January 2026). 'Hiring, retaining, and utilizing talent' has become a lifeline for businesses.

Despite this, early employee turnover after joining the company continues. The turnover rate within three years for new university graduates is 33.8%, and for high school graduates, it is 37.9%. Approximately one in three university graduates still leaves their jobs within three years (Source: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, 'Turnover Status of New School Graduates,' published October 2025). The biggest factor for early turnover is 'mismatch in job content' (57%). Including discrepancies in corporate culture and interpersonal relationships, insufficient pre-employment checks account for a large proportion of turnover (Source: en Inc., 'Survey on Early Turnover Status,' published May 2025).

Furthermore, from the fiscal year ending March 2026, disclosures of human capital in securities reports have been expanded, requiring listed companies to visualize engagement and retention rates in connection with their management strategies (Source: Cabinet Office, Financial Services Agency, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, 'Human Capital Visualization Guidelines (Revised Edition),' published March 2026). 'How to recruit, retain, and develop talent' is now a management theme that must be explained to investors.

'TEKIKAKU' is a tool that addresses the 'entry point' of these challenges. By visualizing the degree of match with a company's organizational culture, the compatibility and potential performance of candidates with the current organization, it prevents recruitment mismatches, early turnover, and low performance by verifying 'fit for the company' before hiring, which is difficult to discern from skills and experience alone. We believe that its ability to directly address the pressing issues faced by the recruitment field has led to this evaluation.

LAFOOL's Unique Data Infrastructure Supports the Accuracy of 'TEKIKAKU'

Many aptitude tests focus on measuring the personality and abilities of individual candidates. In contrast, 'TEKIKAKU's' distinctive feature is its approach of combining individual candidate characteristics with actual data from the 'receiving organization.'

Specifically, the results of aptitude tests taken by candidates are cross-referenced with organizational data provided by employees actually working at the company in 'LAFOOL Survey' to visualize the degree of match, i.e., 'how well they fit the current organization.'

This analysis is supported by data accumulated through 'LAFOOL Survey,' exceeding 300 million data points in total.

By not only looking at individual candidates but also having organizational data accumulated, it is possible to verify before hiring whether a candidate is 'likely to perform and remain with the company.'

Furthermore, it is possible to identify candidates whose characteristics are similar to those of employees who achieve high results within the company (high performers). In such cases, it is effective when used for recruitment in the 'same environment,' such as for a specific department or job type. Verifying compatibility not only in terms of personality but also with the organizational environment of the assigned department leads to post-hire performance and retention.

Additionally, 'TEKIKAKU' can be used free of charge for internal company use. If you wish to measure the values and characteristics of your employees or see the kind of output it generates, please try it out.

Try for Free

From Pre-Hiring to Post-Hire Success: LAFOOL Provides Integrated Support for 'Recruitment → Adaptation → Retention → Performance'

An aptitude test is merely the 'entry point' to recruitment. The real challenge lies in whether hired individuals can integrate into the organization, exert their abilities, and continue to perform well long-term.

LAFOOL connects the entire process from talent 'recruitment' to 'performance' through multiple solutions, providing integrated support.

❶ Recruitment: Aptitude Test 'TEKIKAKU'

By combining individual candidate characteristics with data from the receiving organization, it visualizes the degree of match with the organizational culture. It supports improvement in interview accuracy and the acquisition of talent less likely to leave. It partners in recruitment strategy planning, preventing recruitment mismatches and early turnover before hiring.

❷ Adaptation: 'TEKIKAKU' × 'LAFOOL Survey'

Utilizes personality types and characteristic data for placement and assignment, supporting the initial onboarding phase. Furthermore, 'LAFOOL Survey' visualizes adaptation to the new environment from both quantitative and qualitative perspectives.

❸ Retention & Performance: 'LAFOOL Survey' × 'LAFOOL Management' × Various Solutions

'LAFOOL Survey' identifies the underlying 'factors' of issues, enabling the implementation of improvement measures. Concurrently, 'LAFOOL Management' visualizes the 'recognition gap' between managers and members, identifying management challenges with subordinates and guiding improvements with AI and human support.

Additionally, employee training and seminars foster workplaces where individuals can thrive, while management training supports the practical application of management know-how, enhancing overall team performance.

Not just 'hiring' or 'measuring.' By combining these elements, LAFOOL's unique strength lies in its ability to provide integrated support from pre-hiring through to post-hire success.

LAFOOL's Strength: Data × AI × Human = Mental Data Tech® to Vitalize Organizations

This integrated support is powered by Mental Data Tech®, which LAFOOL has refined. It involves essential data accumulated through LAFOOL Survey, AI for analyzing that data, and human-led support. By circulating 'Data × AI × Human,' organizations are revitalized.

LAFOOL has accumulated over 300 million cumulative mental data points. AI analyzes this vast data infrastructure, and ultimately, we provide support to 'move people with human power.' The consistent philosophy of LAFOOL is to connect data to behavioral change and organizational results, not just to end with data.

Moving forward, LAFOOL will continue to support companies in achieving human capital management and well-being management, guided by its vision of 'Making all work well-being.'

Message from the Representative

We are deeply honored to have received recognition as #1 in all three categories – General, Large-scale, and Medium-scale – within the aptitude testing division of the 'IT Trend First Half Ranking 2026,' regardless of company size.

An aptitude test is merely the entry point to recruitment; we believe what is truly important is that hired individuals integrate into the organization, remain with the company, and continue to perform well. Through 'TEKIKAKU,' 'LAFOOL Survey,' 'LAFOOL Management,' and our consulting services, we will provide integrated support from recruitment through adaptation, retention, and performance, making all work well-being.

About LAFOOL

Company Name: LAFOOL Inc. Headquarters Address: 2-9-5 Nihonbashi Kayabacho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-0025, Nisshin Building 7F Established: November 30, 2011 Representative: Keita Yuki, President and CEO Business Activities: Mental Data Tech® business (development and operation of LAFOOL Survey), Recruitment Support business (development and operation of TEKIKAKU), Nursery School business URL: https://corp.lafool.co.jp/

About LAFOOL Survey (https://survey.lafool.jp/)

LAFOOL Survey is an organizational improvement tool that comprehensively investigates the state of employees and the organization, visualizing not only surface-level results but also the underlying 'factors' of issues. By correctly grasping the factors, it enables the planning of optimal measures and the execution of improvement cycles, leading to reduced turnover and increased engagement. With over 2,300 cumulative installations, it supports the realization of human capital management and well-being management, contributing to increased corporate value.

About TEKIKAKU (https://tekikaku.lafool.jp/)

TEKIKAKU is an aptitude test tool that visualizes the retention rate and performance potential of recruitment candidates based on their compatibility with the company's organizational culture. It prevents recruitment mismatches, early turnover, and low performance by visualizing whether a candidate is 'the right person needed' for the target organization, contributing to improved organizational strength. It calculates the compatibility for both company employees and candidates to work in well-being, solving issues of labor shortages and early turnover, and supporting the realization of human capital management.

About LAFOOL Management (https://corp.lafool.co.jp/service/lafool-management/)

LAFOOL Management is a management support solution designed to help managers break away from intuition-based management by visualizing the 'recognition gap' between managers and members. Through AI-driven advice based on organizational data and quantitative/qualitative status assessment, it visualizes the gap between what managers 'think they are doing' and what members 'are receiving.' By systematizing the improvement cycle, it ensures that manager development is not a one-off training session but leads to continuous growth and improved organizational results.

FACT BOX

  • Source: PR TIMES
  • Category: 受賞