Survey on Young Manufacturing Employees (1-3 Years of Service): Over 60% Say They Would Stay if On-site Operations Were Digitized, While Nearly 80% Prefer More Digitized Companies When Choosing Job Offers

SimTops Inc. (headquartered in Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Kazuyuki Okuhata), provider of i-Reporter—the on-site reporting system with the #1 market share in Japan—conducted a survey targeting 108 young employees (1–3 years of service) who joined manufacturing companies as new graduates within the past three years. The survey revealed that digitization of on-site documentation significantly influences the hiring and retention of young talent.

01｜69.4% of young employees who joined manufacturing companies as new graduates responded that digitization of on-site operations is “less advanced than expected before joining.”

02｜Among young employees who have considered leaving their jobs, approximately 30% cited “the analog nature of on-site work and delayed digitization” as a factor in their decision.

03｜64.8% said they would “continue working” if digitization progresses.

Download the full survey report here: https://application.i-reporter.jp/download.research23

Survey Overview

Survey Title: Reality Check Survey on Turnover Among Young New Graduates in Manufacturing

Method: Online survey planned by IDEATECH’s research marketing platform “Lisapy®”

Survey Period: June 19–22, 2026

Valid Responses: 108 young employees (1–3 years of service) who joined manufacturing companies as new graduates within the past three years

※ Percentages are rounded to two decimal places, so totals may not sum exactly to 100.

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70% of young manufacturing employees feel digitization is behind expectations, highlighting a gap between pre-employment expectations and on-site reality

When asked, “Q1. Did you feel that digitization of on-site operations at your current workplace is less advanced than you expected before joining?” (n=108), 21.3% responded “strongly agree,” and 48.1% responded “somewhat agree.”

Q1. Did you feel that digitization of on-site operations at your current workplace is less advanced than you expected before joining?

・ Strongly agree: 21.3%

・ Somewhat agree: 48.1%

・ Somewhat disagree: 18.5%

・ Strongly disagree: 10.2%

・ Don’t know/Can’t answer: 1.9%

“Manually transferring data to other documents/systems” is the most common scenario (57.3%) where digitization delays are felt

When asked, “Q2. For those who answered ‘strongly agree’ or ‘somewhat agree’ to Q1: In which specific situations did you feel the analog nature (delay in digitization) of on-site operations? (Multiple answers allowed)” (n=75), the most common response was “when manually transferring numbers or data to other documents/systems” (57.3%), followed by “when searching for past records in paper files” (38.7%), and “when reporting or communicating via phone or fax” (32.0%).

Q2. For those who answered ‘strongly agree’ or ‘somewhat agree’ to Q1: In which specific situations did you feel the analog nature (delay in digitization) of on-site operations? (Multiple answers allowed)

・ When manually transferring numbers or data to other documents/systems: 57.3%

・ When searching for past records in paper files: 38.7%

・ When reporting or communicating via phone or fax: 32.0%

・ When manually creating summaries or reports: 28.0%

・ When commuting or exchanging documents for stamping/approval: 22.7%

・ When handwriting entries on paper forms or daily reports: 21.3%

・ When repeatedly entering the same information into multiple documents: 17.3%

・ When referring to paper materials or manuals: 12.0%

・ Others: 0.0%

・ Don’t know/Can’t answer: 0.0%

Comments such as “monthly schedule is on a blackboard” and “not using any digital tools” reveal analog realities beyond imagination

When asked, “Q3. For those who answered anything other than ‘Don’t know/Can’t answer’ to Q2: Please freely describe any other situations where you felt the analog nature of on-site operations, beyond those mentioned in Q2.” (n=75), 39 responses were collected.

＜Selected Open-Ended Responses＞

・ The monthly schedule is written on a blackboard.

・ We’re not using any digital tools.

・ The existence of paper-based tasks.

・ Handwritten inspection sheets.

・ Ultimately, paper documents are still required.

76.9% would choose a company with more advanced on-site digitization if receiving multiple job offers, indicating that on-site DX has become a competitive factor in new graduate recruitment

When asked, “Q4. If you had received job offers from multiple companies before joining, would you prefer to choose a company where on-site operations are more digitized?” (n=108), 17.6% responded “strongly agree,” and 59.3% responded “somewhat agree.”

Q4. If you had received job offers from multiple companies before joining, would you prefer to choose a company where on-site operations are more digitized?

・ Strongly agree: 17.6%

・ Somewhat agree: 59.3%

・ Somewhat disagree: 13.9%

・ Strongly disagree: 4.6%

・ Don’t know/Can’t answer: 4.6%

71.3% have considered leaving their jobs, highlighting the difficulty of retaining young talent

When asked, “Q5. Have you ever considered leaving your current workplace?” (n=108), 40.7% responded “currently considering,” and 30.6% responded “have considered in the past.”

Q5. Have you ever considered leaving your current workplace?

・ Currently considering: 40.7%

・ Have considered in the past: 30.6%

・ Never considered: 24.1%

・ Don’t know/Can’t answer: 4.6%

Reasons for considering leaving: “workplace relationships” top the list, while “analog nature of on-site work and delayed digitization” ranks among the top three factors

When asked, “Q6. For those who answered ‘currently considering’ or ‘have considered in the past’ to Q5: Please select all applicable reasons for considering leaving. (Multiple answers allowed)” (n=77), “workplace relationships” was cited by 53.2%, “job content differing from expectations” by 37.7%, and “analog nature of on-site work and delayed digitization” by 29.9%.

Q6. For those who answered ‘currently considering’ or ‘have considered in the past’ to Q5: Please select all applicable reasons for considering leaving. (Multiple answers allowed)

・ Workplace relationships: 53.2%

・ Job content differing from expectations: 37.7%

・ Analog nature of on-site work and delayed digitization: 29.9%

・ Dissatisfaction with salary or benefits: 24.7%

・ Long working hours or heavy workload: 20.8%

・ Concerns about company’s future prospects: 19.5%

・ Lack of career growth: 10.4%

・ Dissatisfaction with evaluation system: 5.2%

・ Others: 0.0%

・ Don’t know/Can’t answer: 0.0%