【2026 Graduates: Retention Intentions of ~3,800 New Employees】65.4% Say 'I Want to Continue Working at My Current Company'—Highest Rate in 12 Years

ALL DIFFERENT Inc. (headquartered in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Daisuke Magosaki), which has supported organizational development and talent cultivation for over 20,000 companies and more than 4.7 million people, together with the Learning Innovation Research Institute®, which conducts research and studies on 'Creating the Future of People and Organizations®,' conducted an awareness survey of 3,849 new employees between March 24 and May 6, 2026. This press release presents the findings of the survey analyzing the career aspirations and retention intentions of the 2026 graduating cohort.

Background

In recent years, amid rising uncertainty and diversified work styles, the career perspectives of young talent have undergone significant transformation. As the assumptions of lifetime employment and seniority-based promotion systems weaken, new graduates, particularly from Generation Z, are increasingly prioritizing authenticity and personal fulfillment. At the same time, the abundance of career options has made decision-making more difficult, and many struggle to envision their future paths. This survey aims to clarify the actual career orientations and retention intentions of new employees in light of these environmental shifts.

Overview of Survey Results

- Career Aspirations: 1 in 3 aspire to specialist roles, 1 in 4 to managerial roles
- Reason for managerial aspiration: 'I enjoy working with colleagues' (34.4%) ranks first for the first time
- Reason for specialist aspiration: 'I want to leverage my expertise in critical situations' (61.2%) dominates by a wide margin
- Retention intention: 66.3% responded 'I would like to continue working at my current company,' the highest rate in 12 years
- Conditions for staying: 'Good workplace relationships' and 'high salary/bonuses' are the top two factors
- Desired workplace culture: 'A culture that values teamwork' (75.1%) is overwhelmingly preferred
- Career development support desired: 'Opportunities to consult with supervisors' exceeds 50% and shows an upward trend

[Insight] Cultivation Strategies to Support Sustained Growth of New Employees

Detailed Survey Findings

1. Career Aspirations: 1 in 3 aspire to specialist roles, 1 in 4 to managerial roles

First, new employees from the 2026 cohort were asked about the role they hope to play in their company in the future.

Results show that 30.7% aspire to 'pursue expertise and advance as a specialist,' while 24.7% aim to 'become a leader managing teams and organizations.' The proportion favoring specialist roles has increased.

Meanwhile, 21.4% said 'I have no particular career aspiration and just want to enjoy my work,' 22.3% said 'I'm not sure yet and will decide later,' and 1.0% said 'I don't know.' Collectively, over 40% of respondents have unclear career aspirations.

Comparing responses from new employees since 2014, the group with unclear career aspirations—those who answered 'no particular aspiration,' 'not sure yet,' or 'don't know'—has shown an increasing trend since the survey began in 2014, although the proportion decreased slightly from last year (Figure 1).

Figure 1 results were further analyzed by gender.

Among males, the proportion with unclear career aspirations—those who answered 'no particular aspiration' or 'not sure yet'—has gradually increased since 2014. However, males consistently show higher rates than females in clearly defined career aspirations, such as 'pursuing a specialist path' or 'aiming for management roles.' In 2026, males exceeded females by 10.6 and 2.7 percentage points, respectively.

In contrast, females show a higher proportion of unclear career aspirations compared to males, with 51.9% falling into this category—over half—indicating significant uncertainty about their career paths (Figures 2 and 3).

2. Reason for managerial aspiration: 'I enjoy working with colleagues' (34.4%) ranks first for the first time

Next, new employees who answered 'I want to become a leader managing teams and organizations (managerial role)' in the previous question were asked why they aspire to leadership.

The top reason was 'because I enjoy working with colleagues' (34.4%), followed by 'because I want to lead a team to achieve big things' (33.3%). This marks the first time these two reasons have reversed positions.

The reason that ranked first 12 years ago—'because I want to lead the company as part of management in the future'—has continued to decline but showed a slight increase over the past two years, reaching 23.1% (Figure 4).

3. Reason for specialist aspiration: 'I want to leverage my expertise in critical situations' (61.2%) dominates by a wide margin

New employees who answered 'I want to pursue expertise and advance as a specialist (specialist role)' were asked why they aspire to such a path.

The top reason was 'because I want to leverage my expertise when it matters most,' at 61.2%—the first time exceeding 60%. The second reason, 'because I want to deeply explore one field,' accounted for 31.6%. The gap between first and second place was 29.6 percentage points, the largest in survey history (Figure 5).

4. Retention intention: 66.3% responded 'I would like to continue working at my current company,' the highest rate in 12 years

Next, we examined the retention intentions of the 2026 new graduates.

When asked whether they wish to continue working at their current company, 66.3% responded 'I would like to continue if possible,' the highest proportion in 12 years. The percentage who said 'I want to change jobs eventually' was 12.7%, the lowest since the pandemic-affected 2020 survey (Figure 6).

5. Conditions for wanting to stay: 'Good workplace relationships' and 'high salary/bonuses' are the top two

Although the proportion of new employees wishing to stay at their current company reached a record high, we further asked under what conditions they would want to stay.

'Good workplace relationships' ranked highest at 66.4%, followed by 'high salary and bonuses' at 61.0%, both exceeding 60%. In contrast, 'ability to grow through work' (31.6%), 'ability to do the work I want' (23.6%), and 'efforts being recognized' (22.3%) continue to decline. 'Ability to grow through work' dropped 13.8 percentage points compared to six years ago (Figure 7).

6. Desired workplace atmosphere and culture: 'A culture that values teamwork' (75.1%) is overwhelmingly preferred

Next, we asked what kind of company atmosphere or culture would make them want to stay long-term.

'A culture that emphasizes mutual cooperation and teamwork' received 75.1%, a decisive lead. This is 2.3 percentage points higher than last year's already high figure. Next were 'a culture that respects diverse ideas and work styles' (34.2%) and 'a culture that supports learning, self-growth, and skill development' (24.4%) (Figure 8).

7. Career development support desired from companies: 'Opportunities to consult with supervisors' exceeds half and shows an upward trend

Finally, we asked what kind of career development support they expect from their companies.

'Creating opportunities to consult with supervisors' ranked first at 56.5%. This proportion