Announcement of Analysis Results for the 'Corporate New Graduate Recruitment Reality Survey 2026'
Recruit Management Solutions and Nikkei BP announced the results of a joint survey, revealing that ~60% of companies struggle to hit new grad hiring targets, prompting shifts toward hybrid hiring and AI utilization.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 13, 2026 at 20:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 13, 2026 at 16:35
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 19, 2026 at 20:08 (147h 32m after Collected)
Recruit Management Solutions Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo, President: Jun Yamazaki, hereinafter 'our company'), which supports companies in solving management/HR issues and driving business/strategies, jointly conducted the 'Corporate New Graduate Recruitment Reality Survey 2026' with 'Nikkei Business' published by Nikkei BP (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo, President & CEO: Tetsuya Iguchi). The survey targeted full-time employees involved in the recruitment area within HR departments of companies with 100 or more employees that conduct new graduate hiring annually. The purpose of this survey is to capture the current state and challenges of corporate new graduate recruitment, changes in hiring composition, and trends in hiring measures from multiple angles, exploring the future direction of new graduate recruitment.
Survey results indicate that approximately 60% responded, 'We are struggling to achieve the planned or required number of hires in new graduate recruitment' and 'New graduate recruitment is becoming prolonged,' suggesting that the difficulty of recruitment activities is increasing.
On the other hand, it is also confirmed that new graduate recruitment remains an important hiring method for many companies. About three-quarters answered, 'Continuing new graduate recruitment is important for the company's development,' recognizing the high significance of new graduate recruitment from the perspectives of securing talent to shoulder future growth and long-term human resource development. However, about two-thirds responded, 'There is a need to change the current way of new graduate recruitment,' making it clear that a review of traditional hiring methods is required.
Looking at the outlook for hiring composition, while many companies currently focus on new graduate recruitment, there is a trend toward more companies transitioning to a hiring composition that combines new graduate recruitment with career recruitment (mid-career hiring) in the future.
Furthermore, challenges on the receiving end in the field of new graduate recruitment have also surfaced. Approximately two-thirds of managers feel they cannot allocate enough time and personnel to train new employees, and about 60% of managers find it difficult to manage new employees, indicating the possibility that the burden of post-hiring training and management is increasing.
Under these circumstances, companies are moving forward with reviewing hiring methods and introducing new measures. In addition to initiatives such as raising starting salaries and strengthening follow-up for prospective employees, the utilization of AI in the hiring process is spreading, with about 40% of companies introducing some form of AI measure.
From these results, it is suggested that while new graduate recruitment continues to play an important role in securing talent for companies, there is a growing need to review hiring methods and the state of training against the backdrop of changes in the recruitment environment and the increasing burden on the frontline. In order to connect new graduate recruitment to the sustainable growth of companies, it is considered important to undertake initiatives that look ahead from hiring to retention, such as preparing training and reception systems, in addition to diversifying hiring methods and utilizing technology. We hope this survey will help in considering the future of new graduate recruitment.
[Executive Summary]
- Suggests that more companies may transition to a hiring composition combining new graduate and career recruitment in the future (Chart 1)
- The main purpose of new graduate recruitment is securing future talent, while career recruitment is mainly for securing immediate battle-ready talent and solving labor shortages (Chart 2)
- Generally, new graduate recruitment is recognized as the optimal means for its primary purposes (Chart 3)
- New graduate recruitment trends towards prolonged periods and hiring difficulties. Reducing new graduate recruitment, etc., was considered by about one-third (Charts 4, 5)
- While recognized as important for corporate growth, there are moves to review hiring methods and utilize AI (Charts 6, 7)
1. Comments from the Person in Charge of the Survey
Recruit Management Solutions Co., Ltd.
Organizational Behavior Research Institute, Principal Researcher
Kumiko Buto
Against the backdrop of a declining labor force and the utilization of AI, we conducted a survey to understand how those involved in new graduate recruitment think about its future.
Through this survey, I perceived that many people consider new graduate recruitment an important means of talent acquisition for Japanese companies. Different purposes were consciously associated with new graduate recruitment versus career recruitment, so I believe each company will consider the optimal combination of both to acquire the necessary talent.
Moreover, about two-thirds answered, 'There is a need to change the current way of new graduate recruitment.' Saying it needs to change does not mean abolishing it, but rather an expression of intent to reconsider the approach and methods and tackle it solidly.
Furthermore, from this survey, we could see situations attempting to gauge the intentions of students and prospective hires. The need to view new graduate recruitment through to the retention and active participation of new employees as a continuous process will likely increase. Hypothetically...
Survey results indicate that approximately 60% responded, 'We are struggling to achieve the planned or required number of hires in new graduate recruitment' and 'New graduate recruitment is becoming prolonged,' suggesting that the difficulty of recruitment activities is increasing.
On the other hand, it is also confirmed that new graduate recruitment remains an important hiring method for many companies. About three-quarters answered, 'Continuing new graduate recruitment is important for the company's development,' recognizing the high significance of new graduate recruitment from the perspectives of securing talent to shoulder future growth and long-term human resource development. However, about two-thirds responded, 'There is a need to change the current way of new graduate recruitment,' making it clear that a review of traditional hiring methods is required.
Looking at the outlook for hiring composition, while many companies currently focus on new graduate recruitment, there is a trend toward more companies transitioning to a hiring composition that combines new graduate recruitment with career recruitment (mid-career hiring) in the future.
Furthermore, challenges on the receiving end in the field of new graduate recruitment have also surfaced. Approximately two-thirds of managers feel they cannot allocate enough time and personnel to train new employees, and about 60% of managers find it difficult to manage new employees, indicating the possibility that the burden of post-hiring training and management is increasing.
Under these circumstances, companies are moving forward with reviewing hiring methods and introducing new measures. In addition to initiatives such as raising starting salaries and strengthening follow-up for prospective employees, the utilization of AI in the hiring process is spreading, with about 40% of companies introducing some form of AI measure.
From these results, it is suggested that while new graduate recruitment continues to play an important role in securing talent for companies, there is a growing need to review hiring methods and the state of training against the backdrop of changes in the recruitment environment and the increasing burden on the frontline. In order to connect new graduate recruitment to the sustainable growth of companies, it is considered important to undertake initiatives that look ahead from hiring to retention, such as preparing training and reception systems, in addition to diversifying hiring methods and utilizing technology. We hope this survey will help in considering the future of new graduate recruitment.
[Executive Summary]
- Suggests that more companies may transition to a hiring composition combining new graduate and career recruitment in the future (Chart 1)
- The main purpose of new graduate recruitment is securing future talent, while career recruitment is mainly for securing immediate battle-ready talent and solving labor shortages (Chart 2)
- Generally, new graduate recruitment is recognized as the optimal means for its primary purposes (Chart 3)
- New graduate recruitment trends towards prolonged periods and hiring difficulties. Reducing new graduate recruitment, etc., was considered by about one-third (Charts 4, 5)
- While recognized as important for corporate growth, there are moves to review hiring methods and utilize AI (Charts 6, 7)
1. Comments from the Person in Charge of the Survey
Recruit Management Solutions Co., Ltd.
Organizational Behavior Research Institute, Principal Researcher
Kumiko Buto
Against the backdrop of a declining labor force and the utilization of AI, we conducted a survey to understand how those involved in new graduate recruitment think about its future.
Through this survey, I perceived that many people consider new graduate recruitment an important means of talent acquisition for Japanese companies. Different purposes were consciously associated with new graduate recruitment versus career recruitment, so I believe each company will consider the optimal combination of both to acquire the necessary talent.
Moreover, about two-thirds answered, 'There is a need to change the current way of new graduate recruitment.' Saying it needs to change does not mean abolishing it, but rather an expression of intent to reconsider the approach and methods and tackle it solidly.
Furthermore, from this survey, we could see situations attempting to gauge the intentions of students and prospective hires. The need to view new graduate recruitment through to the retention and active participation of new employees as a continuous process will likely increase. Hypothetically...