Job Offer Rate at 77.7% as of End of May, Falling Below Previous Year for 3 Consecutive Months. Humanities Up Slightly to 75.3%, STEM Drops 9.1 Points to 82.6% [Class of 2027 Survey]

Gakujo Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo) conducted an online survey on the latest status of informal job offers for university and graduate students expected to graduate in March 2027. The informal job offer rate as of the end of May reached 77.7%, approaching 80%. However, the rate just before June 1st—when interviews are officially permitted under government guidelines—fell below 80% for the first time in three years, following two consecutive years of exceeding 80% (81.3% for the class of 2025 and 80.1% for the class of 2026). This marks the third consecutive month of year-on-year decline and the first time it has fallen below the level of two years prior. While the rate was at a record high until the end of February due to early selection processes via internships, the growth has slowed significantly since spring, likely due to the acceleration of offer timing and economic uncertainty caused by tensions in the Middle East. By field of study, humanities students saw a slight year-on-year increase to 75.3%, while STEM students saw a significant 9.1-point drop to 82.6%. The stagnation in the overall rate is primarily driven by STEM students. The job-seeking rate fell below 50% for the first time this season, nearly matching the previous year's level. Over 50% of students have now secured offers and finished their job search, indicating that the recruitment process for the class of 2027 is entering its middle-to-final phase.