The Career Ownership and Future of Work Consortium Releases "Future of Work White Paper 2026"

※ This news release is issued by Persol Career Co., Ltd., acting as the secretariat on behalf of the 48 participating companies and organizations of the "Career Ownership and Future of Work Consortium."

The "Career Ownership and Future of Work Consortium" < https://co-consortium.persol-career.co.jp/ > is a group of companies and organizations from various industries that have gathered to explore "new relationships between individuals and companies" that transform career-ownership-oriented talent into a force for business growth. We are pleased to announce the publication of the "Future of Work White Paper 2026," which summarizes the results of our research activities for the 2025 fiscal year.

Those who wish to obtain a copy of this report may apply via the "Future of Work White Paper" page on the consortium's website. ■ URL: https://co-consortium.persol-career.co.jp/report/hakusyo20260330/index.html

The "Future of Work White Paper" is a compilation of "Career Ownership Management" practices. It is based on open discussions among participating companies—all of which are promoting autonomous career development and exploring new relationships between individuals and companies—regarding questions such as "How should we utilize career-ownership-oriented talent to generate medium- to long-term corporate growth?" and "How can we achieve sustainable corporate growth by maximizing human capital?" The white paper compiles these discussions, along with signs of management and HR transformation emerging from the front lines of practice.

In this fifth edition (FY2025), we focus on "Career Ownership Management," a practical method for maximizing human capital to drive medium- to long-term corporate growth. Leveraging the assets cultivated in previous terms, the 41 participating companies and organizations focused on the "second-round wall" (the wall between empathy and action)—a challenge faced in the field where, despite the introduction of measures, employees do not exhibit behavioral change. To overcome this new wall, we selected nine thematic challenges, including "culture building," "management development," and "AI utilization," and compiled the practical proposals created by each thematic subcommittee as the results of our activities.

Overview of "Future of Work White Paper 2026" Table of Contents: 1. What is the Future of Work White Paper 2026? 2. The Consortium's Journey and Findings 3. Opening Roundtable: The Journey and Lessons of Consortium Member Companies in C/O Management Research 4. Special Feature: What Should Be Done to Embed and Permeate Career Ownership Management in the Organization? 5. Research Process 6. List of Practical Themes for Career Ownership Management (5th Term) 7. Subcommittee Structure for the 5th Term 8. Summary of Subcommittee Activity Results - Verification of C/O leading to company-wide understanding and permeation - Practical challenges in utilizing C/O talent (Introduction phase) P.12 - Mechanisms for awareness building and behavioral change to make C/O a "personal matter" P.17 - C/O awareness reform for managers and strengthening support for the front lines P.21 - Management development challenges to support C/O P.25 - Practical challenges in utilizing C/O talent (Retention phase) P.30 - Visualization of culture, organizational climate, and engagement for C/O embodiment P.35 - Recruitment challenges and countermeasures for C/O talent P.39 - Connecting management strategy with C/O in organizational and corporate activities P.44 - HR transformation challenges and preparation stages through AI utilization P.48 9. Afterword 10. List of Participating Companies and Organizations in the 5th Term of the Career Ownership and Future of Work Consortium

Publisher: Career Ownership and Future of Work Consortium Date of Publication: March 30, 2026 Number of Pages: 57 pages Public URL: https://co-consortium.persol-career.co.jp/report/hakusyo20260330/index.html

Message on the Publication of "Future of Work White Paper 2026": General Planning Producer, Go Ito

The "Career Ownership and Future of Work Consortium" has reached its 5th term, and this is the 5th publication of the "Future of Work White Paper." Since our launch in 2021, we have accumulated practical knowledge in human capital management. This term, we faced head-on the "second-round wall"—the challenge of approaching segments that do not reach behavioral change through existing measures. This white paper represents the results honed by 41 companies and organizations to overcome these on-site barriers.

In an era where the working environment is changing rapidly due to labor shortages, diversification, and AI-driven organizational transformation, the importance of "career ownership" is higher than ever. Our exploration as a consortium reaches a milestone here, and we are transitioning to a "practical stage" where each company nurtures and evolves its own practices. We strongly believe that as you pick up this white paper and engage in dialogue and small-scale practices in your own workplaces, you will find your own unique "answers," which will eventually lead to a better "future of work" for society as a whole. Please take the first step toward transformation from your own workplace.

<Go Ito Profile> Mission Co-Creation Promotion Department, Persol Career Co., Ltd. General Planning Producer, Career Ownership and Future of Work Consortium After completing graduate school, he worked at a general PR agency and an integrated marketing consulting firm before joining Persol Career in 2018. After serving as the head of corporate communications and service PR, he leveraged the company's corporate mission to plan and promote initiatives that foster career ownership, such as the "Career Ownership and Future of Work Consortium," mutual side-job programs, and the expansion of career education for elementary and junior high schools. He specializes in "Human Capital Management x PR/Communications." He supports activities that go beyond merely announcing systems and measures, designing and implementing management intent, on-site behavior, and cultural integration as a unified whole. Additionally, he produces co-creation projects related to "work" in collaboration with the social sector, including multicultural coexistence, support for refugees and evacuees, and employment/independence support for impoverished youth. He has served as a Public Relations Strategy Advisor for the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) since October 2024.

What is "Career Ownership"? The report "Study Group on Strengthening Human Resource Capabilities in Japanese Industry" (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, 2018) defines career ownership as "each individual being conscious of 'how they want their career to be and how they want to achieve self-realization' and taking actions to build a career they are satisfied with."

Furthermore, the "Report of the Study Group on Sustainable Corporate Value and Human Capital - The Ito Report (Human Resources Version) -" (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, 2020) points out regarding the future relationship between individuals and companies: "Companies are required not to provide standardized career paths, but to enable diverse work styles and support the autonomous career formation, skill-up, and skill-shift of workers." It also reports that "Individuals are required not to entrust their careers to companies, but to possess career ownership and choose the companies they work for based on their own proactive will."

Reference: Career Ownership Living Lab "What is Career Ownership?" https://co-livinglab.persol-career.co.jp/knowledge.html

About the "Career Ownership and Future of Work Consortium" This consortium is a community of practice where companies that transcend industries and sectors gather to explore "new relationships between working individuals and companies" based on the idea that "an individual's proactive career formation leads to a company's sustainable growth." We discuss, practice, and verify the question, "How should we utilize career-ownership-oriented talent to generate medium- to long-term corporate growth?" and make recommendations both within each company and to society at large.

The Chief Advisor and Facilitator of the consortium is Professor Kenunosuke Tanaka of the Faculty and Graduate School of Career Design at Hosei University. In FY2025, 41 companies and organizations are participating to discuss, practice, and verify the promotion of "Career Ownership Management."

Instead of a Background to the Launch: Declaration of the "Career Ownership and Future of Work Consortium" Career Ownership Moves Society. In the era of the 100-year life, the seniority system and lifetime employment are beginning to reach their limits, and the social environment surrounding "work" is changing drastically. Rather than the standardized work styles of the past, the transformation of work styles, human resource development, and employment models that respond to the diverse needs of individuals is an essential task that can no longer wait in Japanese society.

In this situation, "career ownership" is indispensable for each individual to continue growing autonomously. To maximize the power of working individuals and turn it into the power of society, how should companies face individuals and build new relationships? This consortium is where pioneering companies take on this question—which still has no answer—by practicing and verifying it themselves, exploring a "future of work" that realizes sustainable growth for both companies and individuals.

April 20, 2021 Career Ownership and Future of Work Consortium

Consortium Overview Name: Career Ownership and Future of Work Consortium Established: April 20, 2021 (Tuesday) Participating Companies: EY ShinNihon LLC, Aflac Life Insurance Japan Ltd., Aeon Retail Co., Ltd., Eisai Co., Ltd., AIM Services Co., Ltd., SCSK Corporation, SWCC Corporation, MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings, Inc., Odakyu Electric Railway Co., Ltd., Orient Corporation, Kao Group Customer Marketing Co., Ltd., MOS FOOD SERVICES, INC., The Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc., Kikkoman Corporation, Kirin Holdings Company, Limited, Kurita Water Industries Ltd., Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), National Archives of Japan, Sapporo Breweries Ltd., SHIFT Inc., Tsumura & Co., DIC Corporation, Dentsu Soken Inc., Dentsu Digital Inc., Toyo Seikan Group Holdings, Ltd., Cabinet Personnel Bureau of the Cabinet Secretariat, Japan Post Holdings Co., Ltd., Japan Post Co., Ltd., Japan Post Insurance Co., Ltd., Japan Post Bank Co., Ltd., Nomura Co., Ltd., Persol Career Co., Ltd., Panasonic Industry Co., Ltd., Panasonic Connect Co., Ltd., Fujitsu Limited, Mitsui Knowledge Industry Co., Ltd., Mikzan J plus Holdings Co., Ltd., MUFG Bank, Ltd., Members Co., Ltd., Yorozu Corporation, Rohto Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. ※ FY2025 (5th Term) companies and organizations (in Japanese alphabetical order)

Chief Advisor: Professor Kenunosuke Tanaka, Faculty and Graduate School of Career Design, Hosei University Deputy Advisor: Hiroyuki Nagashima, Representative of ToyToy LLC / Former HR Head at Nitori Secretariat: Persol Career Co., Ltd. URL: https://co-consortium.persol-career.co.jp/

Activities: We aggregate the tacit and practical knowledge of companies regarding what is necessary for a "future of work" that balances the growth of individuals and companies, and convert it into explicit knowledge. Specifically, we systematize practical theories (Career Ownership Management) that maximize human capital centered on career-ownership-oriented talent and accelerate their social implementation.

● Research Meetings We aggregate the practical knowledge of advanced companies that balance the growth of individuals and companies, discuss it within the consortium, summarize insights and recommendations for companies, report them at each company's management meetings, and disclose them externally.

In the 5th term's research activities, each company has begun implementing and promoting various measures and initiatives to increase organizational and employee engagement, proactivity, and autonomy in order to promote human capital management, well-being management, and purpose-driven management. We bring together the new challenges and experiences (tacit knowledge) born in the process of these practices. We then convert the brought-in challenges and experiences (tacit knowledge) into explicit knowledge to formulate concrete frameworks and measures to further promote "Career Ownership Management," which connects the exercise of individual proactivity with the growth of business and organization, and utilize them for practice within each company.

Specifically, we are deepening measures and initiatives to a level that can be introduced and practiced by each company, such as the implementation of career ownership in human capital management and its connection to organizational strategy, recruitment challenges and countermeasures, HR transformation challenges through AI utilization, and mechanisms for awareness building and behavioral change to make it a "personal matter," in order to incorporate individual autonomous growth, learning, and experience into business growth strategies.

● Practice and Verification Participating companies discuss and decide on the content of practices, implement them mutually among companies, and verify the results.

(Examples of past practice and verification) - Mutual Side Jobs: We verified the impact on business execution by having talent cross borders through side jobs among participating companies, practicing and verifying work styles that balance corporate value improvement and individual growth. - Introduction and Verification of C/O Management Score: We prototyped the "C/O Management Score," a tool to measure the progress of Career Ownership Management and accelerate management decision-making, and conducted introduction verification with some participating companies.