Breaking News: 2026 New Graduates' 'Ideal Professional Image' is 'Helper' for 2nd Consecutive Year, 'Ideal Workplace Culture' is 'Teamwork-Oriented' at 72.6%

ALL DIFFERENT Inc. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and President: Daisuke Masaki), which supports organizational development and human resource development for over 20,000 companies and 4.6 million people, and the Learning Innovation Research Institute®, which conducts research and studies on "Creating the Future of People and Organizations®," conducted a "Pre-Employment Awareness Survey" targeting new employees joining companies in 2026. The survey was conducted from January 20 to March 4, 2026. This release announces the results of the survey and analysis regarding "feelings about becoming a working adult" and "ideal professional image." ### **Key Points of This Release Explained in Video** The key points of the release are explained in a video by Hiroyuki Nemoto, Senior Manager and CLM (Chief Learning Officer) of our company. [Watch the explanation video here](https://bcove.video/4sUl7VX) ## **Background** April 1st marks a milestone day for many companies, with entrance ceremonies where new professionals take their first step. However, this year's new employees are starting their professional lives amidst an unstable international situation and fluctuating economic environment, making future prospects difficult to foresee. Against this backdrop, what kind of awareness and values do new employees have regarding work, careers, and the future? This year, we conducted a pre-employment awareness survey to delve into the characteristics of new employees joining in 2026. ## **Summary of Survey Results** * **Feelings about becoming a working adult: "Anxiety/Worry" is top at over 70%. "Happiness/Excitement" decreased by 10.4 percentage points from last year.** * **Content of anxiety: "Being able to keep up with work" stands out at approximately 80%.** * **Ideal work style: "Stability-oriented" is 1st, answered by 33.8%.** * **Ideal professional image: "Helper" is top for 2nd consecutive year. "Sincere person" rises to 2nd place.** * **Ideal workplace culture: "A culture that emphasizes mutual cooperation and teamwork" is overwhelmingly 1st at 72.6%.** * **Ideal workplace relationships: "Supportive relationships (helping each other when in trouble)" is 1st.** * **Ideal workplace communication: 91.0% answered "face-to-face." "Chat" 41.0%, "Email" 27.1%.** * ** 2026 New Employees are "Cooperation-Oriented x Stability-Oriented" - What kind of support is required from companies?** ## **Detailed Survey Results** ### **1. Feelings about becoming a working adult: "Anxiety/Worry" is top at approximately 80%. "Happiness/Excitement" decreased by 10.4 percentage points from last year.** First, we asked new employees joining in 2026 what feelings were strongest as they prepared to become working adults. "Anxiety/Worry" was the top answer at 77.1%. Compared to last year's results, the top answer remained largely unchanged, but "Happiness/Excitement" was 10.4 percentage points lower. On the other hand, "Don't feel it yet" was 7.3 percentage points higher (Figure 1). ### **2. Content of anxiety: "Being able to keep up with work" stands out at over 70%.** Given that "Anxiety/Worry" was the top feeling about joining the company, we investigated what specific anxieties they held. The result showed that "Being able to keep up with work with my own abilities" was the largest proportion at 71.4%. This was followed by "Being able to produce results" (52.3%), "Being able to get along with seniors and peers" (51.5%), and "Being able to get along with my boss" (50.8%), with over half of respondents answering these (Figure 2). From here, we will focus on the "ideals of new employees" from various perspectives: ideal work style, ideal professional image, ideal culture, ideal relationships, and ideal communication methods. ### **3. Ideal work style: "Stability-oriented" is 1st, answered by 33.8%.** First, we asked about the **"ideal work style"** – how they ideally want to work. The result showed that "Stability-oriented (steadily progressing with what can be done)" was the largest at 33.8%, followed by "Collaboration-oriented (achieving results by cooperating with others)" (20.3%), and "Challenge-oriented (actively taking on new things)" (12.8%) (Figure 3). ### **4. Ideal professional image: "Helper" is top for 2nd consecutive year. "Sincere person" rises to 2nd place.** Next, we compared the **"ideal professional image"** with last year's results. The result showed that the 1st place, similar to last year, was "Helper (one who empathizes with others and readily offers support)" at 21.8%. However, this percentage decreased by 10.1 percentage points from last year's 31.9%. 2nd place was "Sincere person (acts carefully and meets expectations of others)" at 19.5%. Compared to last year, this increased by 6.3 percentage points, rising from 3rd to 2nd place. 3rd place was "Achiever (pursues success and goals, and takes action)," dropping from 2nd place last year (Figure 4). For this question, we asked for the reasons behind their choices. Here are some excerpts from the responses. ### **5. Ideal workplace culture: "A culture that emphasizes mutual cooperation and teamwork" is overwhelmingly 1st at 72.6%.** Next, we asked about the **"ideal workplace culture."** When asked what kind of company culture they would like to work in, 72.6% answered "A culture that emphasizes mutual cooperation and teamwork," an overwhelmingly high result. 2nd place was "A culture that respects diverse ways of thinking and working" (40.2%), and 3rd place was "A culture that supports learning, self-growth, and skill development" (33.5%) (Figure 5). For this question as well, we asked for the reasons behind their choices. Here are some excerpts from the responses. ### **6. Ideal workplace relationships: "Supportive relationships (helping each other when in trouble)" is 1st.** Next, we asked about the **"ideal workplace relationships."** When asked what kind of relationships they ideally want with people working in the same department or division, "Supportive relationships (helping each other when in trouble)" was the largest at 45.9%. On the other hand, no one chose "Minimal relationships (only communication necessary for work)" (Figure 6). ### **7. Ideal workplace communication: 91.0% answered "face-to-face." "Chat" 41.0%, "Email" 27.1%.** We also asked how they want to communicate with people working in the same department or division. 91.0% answered "face-to-face." This was followed by "Chat" at 41.0% and "Email" at 27.1% (Figure 7). ## **Conclusion** This survey revealed that new employees scheduled to join in 2026 have stronger feelings of "anxiety/worry" than "expectation" about becoming working adults. Furthermore, "happiness/excitement" and "sense of expectation" decreased from last year, suggesting a trend where fewer people envision a positive image of their professional lives. The increase in respondents who answered "Don't feel it yet" also suggests that a certain number of people are entering the company without a concrete vision of their future. Looking at the content of their anxieties, "Being able to keep up with work with my own abilities" stood out at 71.4%, and more than half also answered "Being able to produce results." This indicates that concerns about job difficulty and their own lack of skills are the biggest factors of anxiety. In addition, "Being able to get along with seniors and peers" and "Being able to get along with my boss" were also concerns.