Mynavi Announces the '2027 College Graduate Job Hunting Awareness Survey'
Mynavi released a survey showing that 2027 graduates prioritize stability and salary over doing the work they want, with a growing aversion to strict quotas and frequent relocations.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 24, 2026 at 22:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 24, 2026 at 13:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 25, 2026 at 01:09 (11h 38m after Collected)
Mynavi Corporation (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director, President & Executive Officer: Shunsuke Awai) has announced the results of the "2027 College Graduate Job Hunting Awareness Survey," conducted among university and graduate students nationwide scheduled to graduate in 2027.
【TOPICS】
◆ The top condition students desire in a company is a "stable company" for the 8th consecutive year. In 2nd place is a "company with a good salary," surpassing a "company where I can do the work (occupation) I want to do" [Figure 1]
◆ The most common company students do not want to work for is a "company that seems to have strict quotas." The second most common answer, a "company with frequent relocations," has increased for 6 consecutive years [Figure 2]
◆ Students' preference for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) has increased for 2 consecutive years. The background is likely the rise in the implementation rate of internships and work experiences [Figures 3 & 4]
【Survey Overview】
◆ The top condition students desire in a company is a "stable company" for the 8th consecutive year. In 2nd place is a "company with a good salary," surpassing a "company where I can do the work (occupation) I want to do" for the first time
When asked what kind of company is preferable when selecting an employer (choose up to two applicable items), students scheduled to graduate in 2027 chose a "stable company (55.4% / an increase of 3.5 pts YoY)" the most for the 8th consecutive year. Furthermore, a "company with a good salary (26.6% / an increase of 1.4 pts YoY)" also increased for the 5th consecutive year, surpassing for the first time*1 a "company where I can do the work (occupation) I want to do (25.5%)," which had been the second most common answer up until the previous year. Economic anxieties due to recent inflation may have heightened students' desire for stability and their interest in compensation.
*1 The survey itself started in 1979. Comparisons are based on graduates from 2001 onwards, which are the oldest comparable figures.
[Figure 1]
◆ The most common company students do not want to work for is a "company that seems to have strict quotas." The second most common answer, a "company with frequent relocations," has increased for 6 consecutive years
When asked what kind of company they do not want to go to (choose two applicable items), a "company that seems to have strict quotas (39.2% / an increase of 1.0 pt YoY)" was the most common, following the previous year. The second most common answer, a "company with frequent relocations (33.3% / an increase of 2.3 pts YoY)," saw an increase for the 6th consecutive year. One possible background for the increase in students having cautious thoughts about relocation is an upward trend*2 in students who "hope to have a dual-income household in the future." Because relocation often involves a change in living base and greatly affects the career formation of both oneself and one's partner, the number of students who want to avoid it as much as possible may be increasing.
*2 Mynavi "Survey on Views on Marriage and Children"
[Figure 2]
◆ Students' preference for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) has increased for 2 consecutive years. The background is likely the rise in the implementation rate of internships and work experiences
When asked about their preference for the scale of their employment destination, the preference for large companies (the sum of "Absolutely prefer a large company" and "If I can do the work I want, I prefer a large company") was 50.9%, a decrease of 0.9 pts YoY, declining for the second consecutive year. "Mid-sized/SME is good" was 44.0%, an increase of 1.0 pt YoY, growing for the second consecutive year. Looking at the implementation rate of internships and work experiences (the percentage of companies that have implemented or plan to implement them) by company size, "300 to 999 employees (81.3%)" increased by 2.8 pts YoY, and "less than 300 employees (62.9%)" increased by 4.3 pts YoY. Companies that conduct internships and work experiences tend to be more successful in recruitment. While the implementation rate at SMEs had not been very high in the past, it is believed that as more companies gradually conveyed their appeal to students through internships and work experiences, students' preference for SMEs has also increased.
[Figures 3 & 4]
【Comments from the Researcher】
In the company selection criteria for 2027 graduates, a "company with a good salary" surpassed a "company where I can do the work (occupation) I want to do" for the first time, an outcome that suggests students' strong interest in salary and benefits. Recent economic conditions, such as rising prices, are thought to influence this heightened interest in salary and compensation. While significant increases in starting salaries by large corporations attract public attention, students' eyes are not necessarily focused only on large companies, as the preference for SMEs has increased for two consecutive years. Additionally, it appears that they are discerning matching from multiple perspectives, not just salary, compensation, and company size, but also the appeal and rewarding nature of the work.
Yosuke Hasegawa, Researcher, Mynavi Career Research Lab
【Survey Overview】 2027 College Graduate Job Hunting Awareness Survey
○ Survey Period / Wednesday, October 1, 2025 – Monday, March 23, 2026
○ Survey Method / Collection via WEB input form
○ Survey Target / University students and graduate students nationwide scheduled to graduate in March 2027
○ Conducting Agency / In-house research
○ Valid Responses / 37,160 people (12,402 male arts/humanities students, 6,037 male science students, 15,406 female arts/humanities students, 3,315 female science students)
*Survey results may not sum exactly due to rounding.
【TOPICS】
◆ The top condition students desire in a company is a "stable company" for the 8th consecutive year. In 2nd place is a "company with a good salary," surpassing a "company where I can do the work (occupation) I want to do" [Figure 1]
◆ The most common company students do not want to work for is a "company that seems to have strict quotas." The second most common answer, a "company with frequent relocations," has increased for 6 consecutive years [Figure 2]
◆ Students' preference for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) has increased for 2 consecutive years. The background is likely the rise in the implementation rate of internships and work experiences [Figures 3 & 4]
【Survey Overview】
◆ The top condition students desire in a company is a "stable company" for the 8th consecutive year. In 2nd place is a "company with a good salary," surpassing a "company where I can do the work (occupation) I want to do" for the first time
When asked what kind of company is preferable when selecting an employer (choose up to two applicable items), students scheduled to graduate in 2027 chose a "stable company (55.4% / an increase of 3.5 pts YoY)" the most for the 8th consecutive year. Furthermore, a "company with a good salary (26.6% / an increase of 1.4 pts YoY)" also increased for the 5th consecutive year, surpassing for the first time*1 a "company where I can do the work (occupation) I want to do (25.5%)," which had been the second most common answer up until the previous year. Economic anxieties due to recent inflation may have heightened students' desire for stability and their interest in compensation.
*1 The survey itself started in 1979. Comparisons are based on graduates from 2001 onwards, which are the oldest comparable figures.
[Figure 1]
◆ The most common company students do not want to work for is a "company that seems to have strict quotas." The second most common answer, a "company with frequent relocations," has increased for 6 consecutive years
When asked what kind of company they do not want to go to (choose two applicable items), a "company that seems to have strict quotas (39.2% / an increase of 1.0 pt YoY)" was the most common, following the previous year. The second most common answer, a "company with frequent relocations (33.3% / an increase of 2.3 pts YoY)," saw an increase for the 6th consecutive year. One possible background for the increase in students having cautious thoughts about relocation is an upward trend*2 in students who "hope to have a dual-income household in the future." Because relocation often involves a change in living base and greatly affects the career formation of both oneself and one's partner, the number of students who want to avoid it as much as possible may be increasing.
*2 Mynavi "Survey on Views on Marriage and Children"
[Figure 2]
◆ Students' preference for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) has increased for 2 consecutive years. The background is likely the rise in the implementation rate of internships and work experiences
When asked about their preference for the scale of their employment destination, the preference for large companies (the sum of "Absolutely prefer a large company" and "If I can do the work I want, I prefer a large company") was 50.9%, a decrease of 0.9 pts YoY, declining for the second consecutive year. "Mid-sized/SME is good" was 44.0%, an increase of 1.0 pt YoY, growing for the second consecutive year. Looking at the implementation rate of internships and work experiences (the percentage of companies that have implemented or plan to implement them) by company size, "300 to 999 employees (81.3%)" increased by 2.8 pts YoY, and "less than 300 employees (62.9%)" increased by 4.3 pts YoY. Companies that conduct internships and work experiences tend to be more successful in recruitment. While the implementation rate at SMEs had not been very high in the past, it is believed that as more companies gradually conveyed their appeal to students through internships and work experiences, students' preference for SMEs has also increased.
[Figures 3 & 4]
【Comments from the Researcher】
In the company selection criteria for 2027 graduates, a "company with a good salary" surpassed a "company where I can do the work (occupation) I want to do" for the first time, an outcome that suggests students' strong interest in salary and benefits. Recent economic conditions, such as rising prices, are thought to influence this heightened interest in salary and compensation. While significant increases in starting salaries by large corporations attract public attention, students' eyes are not necessarily focused only on large companies, as the preference for SMEs has increased for two consecutive years. Additionally, it appears that they are discerning matching from multiple perspectives, not just salary, compensation, and company size, but also the appeal and rewarding nature of the work.
Yosuke Hasegawa, Researcher, Mynavi Career Research Lab
【Survey Overview】 2027 College Graduate Job Hunting Awareness Survey
○ Survey Period / Wednesday, October 1, 2025 – Monday, March 23, 2026
○ Survey Method / Collection via WEB input form
○ Survey Target / University students and graduate students nationwide scheduled to graduate in March 2027
○ Conducting Agency / In-house research
○ Valid Responses / 37,160 people (12,402 male arts/humanities students, 6,037 male science students, 15,406 female arts/humanities students, 3,315 female science students)
*Survey results may not sum exactly due to rounding.