About 20% of Youth 'Do Not Join Companies': Survey on Career Views and Reskilling Awareness Among 100 New Graduates

Hagakure Inc. (Headquarters: Shibuya, Tokyo; CEO: Yuta Oku), which operates the web marketing school 'Degipro,' conducted a survey on 'career views and reskilling awareness' among 100 young people who entered society in the spring of 2026. In recent years, as the premise of lifetime employment has wavered and work styles and career formation have diversified, changes have also been observed in the traditional career view of 'joining a company as a new graduate.' This survey investigated not only new employees who joined companies but also young people who chose various paths such as freelancing, contract work, entrepreneurship, or further education, regarding their career anxieties and the education/training systems they seek from companies. Regarding current career paths, 59% answered that they 'joined a company,' indicating that it remains the majority. On the other hand, when combining 'freelance' (4%), 'contract work' (9%), and 'entrepreneurship/business start' (5%), about 20% (19%) of the total chose 'not to join a company,' highlighting a certain level of orientation toward work styles that do not belong to an organization. Including answers such as 'further education' (13%) and 'not employed' (9%), it is evident that career formation at the time of graduation is diversifying beyond traditional frameworks. When asked about 'joining a company as a new graduate,' 72% of the total—combining 'essential' (27%) and 'somewhat necessary' (45%)—viewed it as necessary. However, a certain number of people answered 'not essential' (6%) or 'somewhat not necessary' (3%), suggesting that diverse career views not bound by traditional frameworks are being fostered. In response to the question, 'What are you anxious about in your career?', 'Anxiety about whether my skills will be useful' (41 votes) was the most common result. This was followed by 'don't know which path to choose' (35 votes), 'unstable future income' (30 votes), and 'anxiety about whether there is an environment where I can grow' (29 votes). As AI technology evolves and work styles change, many young people feel anxious about their future careers and their own market value. Also, 'anxiety about work being replaced by AI' received 20 votes, indicating that awareness of technological change is rising as generative AI becomes more widespread. Regarding the question, 'Do you think the opportunities for skill acquisition at your current company are sufficient?', while 17% answered 'sufficient' and 41% answered 'somewhat sufficient,' 34% of the total felt that 'learning opportunities within the company are insufficient' when combining 'somewhat insufficient' (27%) and 'insufficient' (7%). Among young people, there is a growing tendency to strictly prioritize not just engaging in labor, but also 'an environment where they can grow' and 'an environment where they can proactively acquire practical skills.' When asked, 'How important do you consider the company's training and education system when choosing a place of employment?', 76% answered that they 'value the company's training and education system,' combining 'very important' (32%) and 'somewhat important' (44%). On the other hand, 'not very important' (17%) and 'not important at all' (7%) remained in the minority, revealing that the company's education system is an important judgment criterion in choosing a place of employment. This survey revealed that while career options are diversifying for the new graduate generation, anxiety about 'whether their skills will be useful in the future' is rising. There was also a tendency to expect companies to play a role not only as a 'place to work' but also as an 'environment to learn and grow.' In particular, the fact that about 80% of people value 'training and education systems' when choosing a place of employment suggests that companies are required to develop practical learning opportunities and reskilling support.