1EMPLOYMENT OF GRADUATESOF JAPANESE LANGUAGE
ROWENA WARD
University of Wollongong

ABSTRACTAn underlying assumption behind the former Australian Federal Labor Government’s 2012 Asian Century White Paper wasthat language skills were not only important for Australia’s future engagement with its regional neighbours but would also
lead to employment opportunities. Yet, little research has been undertaken into the employment of graduates with majors
in languages, irrespective of the language. This paper discusses the results of an online survey on the use of their Japanese
language in employment by graduates who undertook a major or a minor in Japanese language between 2008 and 2012.
The results discussed here focus on the questions which addressed graduates’ use of their speaking, reading and writing
skills as well as the regularity and level of skills used. The results show that spoken skills are the most commonly used,followed by reading and writing skills.

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INTRODUCTION1
An underlying assumption behind the former Australian Federal Labor Government’s now-archived Australia in the Asian
Century White Paper 2012 (hereafter Asian Century White Paper) is that Asian language skills are not only importantfor “building capacity” for Australia’s engagement with its regional neighbours in the twenty-first century but that thedevelopment of Asian language literacy would lead to employment opportunities for speakers of Asian languages (DPM&C
2012). This latter expectation is not new and various government language policies (e.g. National Asian Language andStudies in Schools Program) over the last two or three decades have assumed a similar position. Yet, little recent researchhas been undertaken into the employment of graduates with majors in languages, irrespective of the language, and hence
it is largely unknown whether language skills are being used in the workplace and, if so, to what level. To investigate theuse of language in the workplace by recent graduates of Japanese from a non-metropolitan university in New South
Wales, a pilot questionnaire was sent to 2008–2012 graduates who had undertaken a major or a minor (four sequential
language subjects) in Japanese. The questions in the survey (Appendix 1) were designed to ascertain whether graduates
use their Japanese language skills in their workplace or not, and the regularity of their use of their skills.

JAPANESE LANGUAGE AND LANGUAGE SKILLSJapanese is one of the most studied languages in Australian universities and schools (de Kretser and Spence-Brown 2010)
and Australia ranks as No. 4 in the world in terms of the number of Japanese language learners (Japan Foundation 2013).
Anecdotal evidence from university information days suggests that some of these learners hope to use their language skillsin the workplace. Yet, there is little recent information available on how and to what level graduates use their language
skills in the workplace. One exception is Thomson (1996) who surveyed employers in Sydney about their employment of
non-native Japanese speakers and found that many employees had been hired “not on language ability” (1996, 29) but forother skills. Moreover, as Bashfield (2013, 11) indicates, there are “few recognisable measures of the success” of policies
outlined in documents such as the Asian Century White Paper. Without more research such measures cannot be developed.
The dearth of information on the use of language skills in the workplace is disconcerting in light of the view that the
globalisation of business operations has led to increased global recruitment of staff and the expectation that candidates
speak another language (CILT, in Lunn 2008, 239). Michael Byrne, Chief Executive of Linfox, in his criticism of Australia’s
education standards commented that his company was increasingly hiring staff from Asia because they “speak four orfive languages” (in Schwarten 2014). Whilst Byrne’s comment suggests the importance placed on linguistic skills in the
recruitment process, there is no clear indication how those skills are being used in the workplace. Nevertheless, the recent
growth in careers fairs held in Australia, particularly in Sydney, aimed at Japanese speaking graduates indicates that there
is a growing need. Yet, these fairs tend to target Japanese native speakers studying in Australia; in May 2014, DISCO Ltd,a careers consultancy company, expressly included “[s]tudents from Japan currently enrolled in an undergraduate or
graduate exchange program” (Careerforum.net n.d.) in its target audience. Whilst non-native speakers are encouraged toattend these fairs, particularly if they have technical skills in engineering or computing, anecdotal evidence suggests thatmost participants are native speaking Japanese students.

SURVEY QUESTIONS
To understand the use of language skills in the workplace by recent graduates of Japanese, the university’s Alumni
Office sent an invitation to participate in an online survey in early May 2014 to graduates of Japanese between 2008
and 2012.2 Due to the probability that some graduates had changed jobs at least once since graduation, the survey
questions addressed not only the use of the different linguistic skills but also their use of their skills in up to four different
positions after graduation. Questions included ones on whether a graduate had prior Japanese language studies before
university as well as whether their Japanese language skills were a requirement for any positions they had held.
1 The author wishes to thank the Japan Foundation for financial assistance through the Sydney Office’s Support Program for Research Projects toundertake this project. This project has UOW Ethics Approval (HE13/515). The author also wishes to thank Professors Kerry Dunne and Leigh Dale andthe peer reviewers for their comments on earlier versions of this paper. Finally, the author wishes to acknowledge the research assistance provided by
Dr Kirsti Rawstron.
2 2013 graduates were specifically excluded from the survey because many take a gap year before commencing employment or would not have worked
for a sufficiently long period to make a judgement regarding the use of their linguistic skills.

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In regards to the use of spoken skills, the questions addressed the regularity and level (Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced)of use. Intermediate skills were further broken down into Intermediate with honorifics and Intermediate without honorifics.3
Precise definitions of the levels were not provided and it was left to the individual respondents to define them according to
the content of the relevant subjects such as “Beginner Japanese” when answering.4 The questions on the use of Japanesereading and writing skills focussed on the frequency of use rather than the level used. In the following sections, the resultsof the survey are analysed and discussed. For ethical reasons, some questions which would have made the respondent
identifiable to the project leader were optional.

SURVEY RESULTS
An invitation to participate in an anonymous SurveyMonkey-based questionnaire was sent by email to sixty-two graduateswith a registered email address. A similar invitation was sent by mail to twelve graduates with no registered email address.
Of the seventy-four alumni contacted, twenty-one responses were received (28% response rate). All respondents werecoded to maintain anonymity (see Appendix 2). As Figure 1 shows, only one of these twenty-one responses was aninternational student, meaning that 95% of respondents were domestic students. This breakdown is a good reflection of
the mix of domestic and international students who complete a major or a minor in Japanese.

Figure 1: Student Type: Domestic or International, Gender

In terms of gender, sixteen replies came from female graduates (76%) and five (24%) from male graduates. This genderbreakdown is a fairly accurate reflection of the upper level5 Japanese language student body where female students makeup between two-thirds and three-quarters of students.
As shown in Figure 2, thirteen respondents majored in Japanese whilst four students undertook a minor in Japanese.
One respondent graduated with a Diploma of Languages6 and the other three graduated with a Graduate Diploma in Arts
(Japanese). To focus on the experiences of undergraduates, the responses from graduates holding the “Graduate Diploma”
are excluded from discussion in this paper. Responses from the student who completed the Diploma of Languages areincluded with those who majored in Japanese.

Figure 2: Graduating Qualification
3 The Intermediate level was broken down into “with honorifics” and “without honorifics” in order to gather information to provide to current students on
the use of honorifics in the workplace.
4 In future surveys, it would be advisable to provide a definition of the terms rather than leave it to the respondents to interpret them.
5 Upper level subjects have prerequisite subject requirements.
6 The Diploma of Languages is an undergraduate program commonly undertaken concurrently with another undergraduate degree (e.g. Engineering).

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Whether a respondent undertook a major or a minor in Japanese has a significant impact on graduates’ language use in
the workforce, as does the number of positions a respondent has held since graduation. Respondent A graduated in 2008,
while Respondent D graduated in 2009, Respondents E through J graduated in 2010, Respondents K, L and M graduatedin 2011, and Respondents N through U graduated in 2012. Thus, the highest proportion of respondents (38%) graduated in2012 (3), followed by 29% in 2010, 14% in both 2008 and 2011, and only 5% in 2009. Despite the majority of respondents
having graduated in 2012, over half (twelve respondents) had held two or more positions7 since graduation (Figure 3).

Figure 3: Respondents’ Year of Graduation

Respondents currently working in their first position after graduation comprise the largest group in the survey (nine), whilefour respondents are working in their second, another four in their third position and a further four in their fourth or later
position (Figure 4).

Figure 4: Number of Positions Held Since Graduation“MAJOR” RESPONDENTS
In this section, discussion focusses on the employment experiences of those who graduated with a major in Japanese. As
noted above, thirteen respondents state that they majored in Japanese. Twelve of these were domestic students and one
was an international student (Respondent J). One respondent is male. Three respondents, including the sole international
respondent, graduated with Bachelor of Arts degrees, while a fourth graduated with Bachelor of Arts (Honours).
Of the remainder, seven completed double degrees (two Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Commerce, two Bachelor of Arts/
Bachelor of Creative Arts, two Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Communication and Media Studies, one Bachelor of Arts/
Bachelor of Science) whilst one completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree and another a Master of Education after
completing a Bachelor of Arts. While it is unclear how many respondents undertook a double major, seven respondents
indicate that they combined their Japanese language studies with other areas of study. Respondents O and R doublemajored in Asia Pacific Studies, while Respondent A majored in Economics and Management, Respondent G in Politics,
Respondent H in Linguistics, Respondent K in Creative Writing and Respondent Q in Biological Science.
7 No definition of what constitutes a “position” was given. It is possible that some respondents interpreted it to meandifferent roles within the same company whilst others may have interpreted it to refer to moving between companies.
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In terms of the year of graduation of the respondents who majored in Japanese, six graduated in 2012, four in 2010, three
in 2011 and the remaining two respondents in 2008. None of the respondents who majored in Japanese graduated in 2009
(Figure 5).

Figure 5: Year of Graduation: Major Respondents

In terms of the number of positions that respondents with a major have held, seven are in their first position after graduationwhilst Respondent K is in her second and Respondent L in her third position. Further examination of the data indicates thatthree of the remaining respondents are not employed, although they had previously been employed, and one respondent isworking in her fourth or later position.

PRESENT POSITION
Eight of the thirteen respondents state that they use Japanese in their present position, with three of these stating thatJapanese language skills were a requirement for the position. Two of the latter respondents were domestic students;
the third (Respondent J) was the international student. Five of the eight respondents who spoke Japanese at work use
Japanese daily, at a range of levels (as shown in Table ). One respondent (Respondent E) states that he uses Japanese ona weekly basis and two (Respondents A and N) use their Japanese speaking skills less than once a month.
Frequency

Level

On a daily basis (G, K, L, O, P)

Basic (O)Intermediate without honorifics (K)Intermediate with honorifics (G, L, P)

Once a week (E)Basic (E)Once a month (nil)Less often than once a month (A, N)

Basic (N)Advanced (A)Table 1: Frequency and Level of Spoken Japanese – Major Respondents

In regards to the use of their Japanese reading skills, eight respondents indicate that they use this skill but only sevenmention the frequency of use. Respondents K, L and O read Japanese on a daily basis, while Respondent E reads once aweek, and Respondents A and G read Japanese less than once a month (6). Respondent P does not indicate how often she
reads Japanese at work.
In regards to the frequency of respondents’ use of their writing skills, five respondents state that they use their Japanesewriting skills at work – one on a daily basis, one on a weekly basis, one once a month, and two use them less than oncea month.

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Figure 6: Frequency of Reading and Writing – Major Respondents

The results of this analysis show that for eight of the fifteen respondents who majored in Japanese the most commonlyused skill was spoken Japanese, which is used at all levels with high frequency. Respondent N uses her basic speaking
skills less than once a month but does not use either her reading or writing skills, while Respondent J uses her reading
skills less than once a month but does not use her spoken or writing skills in her present position. Writing was the least
commonly used Japanese language skill, although four of the five who use their writing skills also use an intermediate levelof spoken Japanese (with or without honorifics) or higher in their present positions. The remaining respondent (RespondentJ) notes that whilst she uses her Japanese writing skills in her present position but neither her speaking nor reading skills,
she had used those skills in earlier positions.

RESPONDENTS IN THEIR FIRST POSITION
Six of the thirteen respondents indicate that they are presently employed in their first position after graduation. Replies
from the remaining seven respondents relate to their first position after graduation. In this section, the responses toquestions regarding the first position upon graduation – whether present or not – are discussed to show the full picture ofJapanese language use in the first position after graduation, regardless of number of positions held since. This discussionof linguistic skills usage immediately after graduation could serve as useful data for those potential graduates hoping to
use their Japanese skills in the workplace.
Only five of the thirteen respondents state that they use their Japanese language skills in their first position after graduation.
Respondents A, G and J state that Japanese language skills were a requirement for their first position upon graduation.
Respondents N and O state that although it was not a requirement of their employment, they use their Japanese skills intheir first position. Despite the lack of any requirement, Respondent O speaks Japanese on a daily basis, while Respondent
N speaks it less than once a month. Both of these respondents only use basic spoken Japanese skills but the three
respondents who were required to speak Japanese for their first position did so at either a basic (Respondent J) orintermediate with honorifics (Respondents A and G) level. The frequency and level of spoken Japanese use for respondents’first positions after graduation are summarised below in Table 2.
Frequency

Level

On a daily basis (A, G, O)

Basic (O)Intermediate with honorifics (A, G)

Once a week (nil)Once a month (nil)Less often than once a month (J, N)

Basic (J, N)

Table 2: Frequency and Level of Spoken Japanese – Major Respondents, First Position

In contrast to the use of spoken skills, reading and writing skills are used less in the workplace. Respondents G, J and O
were the only respondents who use their reading skills in their first position (7); Respondent O uses her reading skills on adaily basis while Respondents G and J use their reading skills less than once a month. Only Respondents G (once a month)and J (less than once a month) state that they use their Japanese writing skills in their first position. According to theseresults, spoken Japanese language skills are the most commonly used skill in their first position by those who majored inJapanese. Reading and writing skills follow in that order.

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Figure 7: Frequency of Reading and Writing – Major Respondents, First Position

RESPONDENTS IN THEIR SECOND POSITION
Eight of the thirteen respondents who majored in Japanese answered questions relating to the use of Japanese languagein their second position after graduation. Of these eight respondents, only Respondents A, J and K use their Japanese
language skills in their second position. For Respondents A and J, Japanese language skills were required for their second
position after graduation but they were not a requirement for Respondent K’s second (current) position after graduation
although she does use them. Table 3 shows the level of usage by these three respondents.
Frequency

Level

On a daily basis (A, K)

Advanced (A)Intermediate without honorifics (K)Once a week (nil)Once a month (nil)Less often than once a month (J)Basic (J)

Table 3: Frequency and Level of Spoken Japanese – Major Respondents, Second Position

In terms of frequency of use, Respondent A speaks advanced Japanese on a daily basis and Respondent J speaks basic
Japanese less than once a month. Whilst Japanese language skills are not a requirement for Respondent K’s second
position, she speaks Japanese at an intermediate level (without honorifics) on a daily basis. Respondents A and K not only
use their Japanese speaking skills on a daily basis, they also use their Japanese reading skills daily. Respondent A also uses
her written Japanese skills on a daily basis in her second position, and Respondent K uses her written skills once a week inher second/present position (Figure 8). In contrast, Respondent J uses her reading skills but does not use her writing skills
in her second position.

Figure 8: Frequency of Reading and Writing – Major Respondents, Second Position

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The data on graduates’ second positions show that a relatively high level of Japanese language skill is used in thosepositions. The graduates who use their Japanese speaking skills on a daily basis do so at either the intermediate or advanced
level, and also employ their reading and writing skills with high frequency. Since this is a very small group of respondents,
further research is needed to understand the contexts in which graduates use their Japanese skills.

RESPONDENTS IN THEIR THIRD OR SUBSEQUENT POSITION
Two respondents (A and L) indicate that they are currently employed in their third or subsequent position after graduation,
while three others (Respondents E, J and P) answered questions regarding their previous employment in their third or
subsequent position. Of the five respondents, only two (Respondents A and L) indicate that they use their language skills inthese positions. Both respondents not only use their spoken Japanese language skills on a daily basis (Table 4) but also use
their Japanese reading and writing skills on a daily basis.
Frequency

Level

On a daily basis (A, L)

Advanced (A)Intermediate with honorifics (L)Once a week (nil)Once a month (nil)Less often than once a month (nil)Table 4: Frequency and Level of Spoken Japanese – Major Respondents, Third Position

Respondents A and L both use their Japanese language skills at a high frequency and high level of skill. Respondent L’s
third/present position is as an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) on the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme
which may account for the high frequency of her Japanese language use.

Figure 9: Frequency of Reading and Writing – Major Respondents, Third Position

GENERAL COMMENTS
While the majority of respondents who graduated with a major in Japanese used their Japanese language skills in theirfirst or present positions, only a few have held either second or third positions, and even fewer have used their Japanese
language skills in these positions. More research is needed to better understand this situation, but analysis of a number ofindividuals’ use of Japanese in the workplace and some of the comments made by the respondents raises some interesting
issues. A number of work histories of individual respondents and comments are discussed in greater detail below.
Respondent A has used her spoken Japanese at either the intermediate with honorifics or advanced level in her first,
second, third and present positions after graduation. She used her spoken Japanese language skills on a daily basis in her
first, second and third positions, but uses her spoken skills less than once a month in her present position (although stillat an advanced level). Respondent A was the only one to use advanced spoken Japanese language skills in her present
position in Public Relations. That is, only one domestic graduate has used their linguistic skills on an ongoing basis after
graduation. This respondent was relatively positive about initial job opportunities in both Sydney and Japan based onJapanese language skills, but noted that “as you get older it is more challenging developing a career around Japanese

9language skills” (Respondent A). This view reflects a common theme raised by respondents regarding the employabilityof those with Japanese language skills. For instance, Respondent R notes that Japanese skills are a “unique selling point”,
whilst another recommends combining Japanese language skills with other technical or professional skills in order todevelop a career (Respondent H). Other respondents recommend either undertaking an international exchange to further
enhance both language and cultural awareness skills (Respondent M) or sitting the Japanese Language Proficiency Test
(JLPT) to gain a further, more internationally recognised Japanese language qualification (Respondent Q).
Two respondents were negative in their comments about their level of employability after majoring in Japanese. The
comments not only have implications for how graduates are prepared for the workplace but also indicate a need forstudents (and graduates) to be made more aware of language learning as a lifelong activity. The first of these, Respondent
J, states that although she had gained a “basic knowledge” during her studies, she had needed to learn a significant amountof new vocabulary and spoken language patterns when she started work. The second, Respondent L, comments that thelanguage skills she had learnt at university had not adequately prepared her for living and working in Japan, and a greater
focus on the development of spoken language skills is required.
In terms of the position currently held, only three of the “major” thirteen respondents voluntarily provided data relating totheir current employment position. Respondent A states that she is in a Public Relations role in the Services industry whilst
Respondent L works as an ALT on the JET Programme. Respondent J currently works as a Sales Assistant.

“MINOR” RESPONDENTS
In this section, discussion focusses on the experiences of the four respondents (D, F, S and U) who completed a minor inJapanese. Unfortunately, due to the way that the questions were framed, it is unclear whether these graduates completed
a beginner level minor (where students begin their language studies at university) or an intermediate level minor having
completed HSC (or similar) studies prior to entering university. This information may affect a graduate’s responses, andhence questions addressing this issue should be included in any further studies.
All four respondents were female, domestic students. Respondent D graduated in 2009, Respondent F in 2010, andRespondents S and U both graduated in 2012. Respondent D graduated with a Bachelor of Arts majoring in History, while
Respondent F graduated with a Bachelor of Computer Science. Respondent S majored in Spanish and graduated with a
combined Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of International Studies degree; Respondent U graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with“several minors rather than a major”.8

PRESENT POSITION
Respondents D, S and U are presently employed, while Respondent F was previously employed but is not currently employed.
Of the three respondents currently working, Respondents S and U state that Japanese language skills were a requirement of
their positions, while Respondent D states that even though Japanese language skills were not a requirement for her position,
she uses her Japanese language skills. This situation contrasts with Respondent S who, even though Japanese language skills
were a requirement for her present position, does not use her Japanese speaking, reading or writing skills in that position.
Frequency

Level

On a daily basis (U)Intermediate without honorifics (U)Once a week (nil)Once a month (D)Basic (D)Less often than once a month (nil)Table 5: Frequency and Level of Spoken Japanese – Minor Respondents, Present Position

8 This respondent may have misunderstood the question, as all students are required to have at least one major to graduate.

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Table 5 summarises how often the graduates who minored in Japanese use their spoken Japanese language skillsin their present position. Respondent U speaks intermediate Japanese (without honorifics) on a daily basis, whilst
Respondent D speaks basic Japanese once a month but does not use her Japanese reading or writing skills. Respondent F,
on the other hand, does not use her spoken skills, but does use her reading and writing skills. Respondent U is the only
“minor” respondent to use all three skills in her present position. In addition to using her speaking skills on a daily basis,
Respondent U uses her reading skills on a daily basis and her writing skills once a week. The frequency of use by “minor”
respondents of their reading and writing skills in their present position is summarised in Figure 10.

Figure 10: Frequency of Reading and Writing – Minor Respondents, Present Position

RESPONDENTS IN THEIR FIRST POSITION
Only Respondent F states that she uses her Japanese language skills in her first position after graduation. Respondent F isthe respondent mentioned above who does not use her spoken Japanese language skills but uses her Japanese reading
skills on a daily basis. Respondent F also uses her Japanese writing skills less than once a month.

RESPONDENTS IN THEIR SECOND POSITION
Two of the four “minor” respondents (Respondents D and U) state that they use their Japanese language skills in theirsecond position. For both of these respondents, their second position is their present position. The first , Respondent D, isthe respondent discussed above who uses basic spoken Japanese once a month, but does not use her reading or writing
skills in her second position. Japanese language skills were not a requirement of this position.
The second respondent, Respondent U, is the respondent discussed above who uses all three language skills in her second(present) position. Respondent U speaks intermediate Japanese without honorifics on a daily basis, reads Japanese on adaily basis and writes Japanese once a week as part of her second (present) employment position. Japanese language
skills were a requirement of her position.

RESPONDENTS IN THEIR THIRD POSITION
Only Respondent S states that her present position is her third position after graduation. Respondent S states that although
Japanese language skills were a requirement for her third position, she does not use her Japanese speaking, reading
or writing skills in this position. Respondent S is the only one of the four “minor” respondents to voluntarily provide data
relating to her present employment position. She states that she works as an “Educator/Trainer” but does not specify
whether she is working in Australia or, like “major” Respondent L, is working as an ALT in Japan.

GENERAL COMMENTS
Only one of the four respondents who graduated with a minor left a comment on the employability of Japanese language
skills. Respondent U notes the importance of not taking long breaks during study if one intends to use Japanese languagein employment, “as it is easy to forget quickly”.

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CONCLUSIONS
The results of this pilot study show a great diversity in the use of Japanese in the workplace by graduates. Japanese
language skills are most commonly used in the respondents’ first positions after graduation. Nine of the twenty-one (43%)
total respondents are currently employed in their first position after graduation, while the remaining twelve respondents(57%) are in their second or later position. In their first position after graduation, six of the thirteen (46%) respondents who
majored in Japanese and only one of the four minor respondents (25%) used any Japanese language skills. The mostcommonly used skill in a graduate’s first position after graduation is their spoken language skill. This skill was used in theirfirst position by all six of the 13 respondents who majored in Japanese but not by any of those who undertook a minor.
With seven respondents – including one who graduated with a minor – indicating that they use their Japanese reading
skill, reading is the second most commonly utilised skill in a graduate’s first position. The least commonly utilised skill by
respondents in their first position was their writing skill.
The results of this survey indicate that graduates tend to either use their Japanese skills in the workplace in their first position
after graduation, or do not use their Japanese skills at work at all. Only two of the twenty-one respondents (Respondents
K and U) did not use any Japanese in their first position but use them in any subsequent positions. Respondent D uses basic
spoken Japanese once a month in her second position after graduation, but did not use any Japanese language skills inher first position.
The relatively low proportion of graduates using their language skills – less than 50% for graduates with a major and 25% of
those with a minor – has implications for language policy, analysis of government initatives such as the Asian Century White
Paper and for the information given to current and future students about the potential for use of their language skills in theworkplace. In the latter case, it would be highly problematic to promote language studies to future or current students on
the basis that they will be able to use their language skills in the workplace after graduation when the reality is that few do.
The comparative frequency of spoken Japanese use in the workplace indicates the importance of gaining this skill prior tograduation. This was supported by comments by respondents relating to the employability of candidates with Japanese
language skills. For instance, Respondent R states that she “was asked to speak Japanese during the interview” for her first
position after graduation. Several other respondents indicate that speaking Japanese is important in their work, although
they note that they often initially lacked the specialised vocabularies needed for those positions. Interestingly, whether
language skills are to be used in the workplace or not is not necessarily clear before beginning a position. For example,
Japanese language skills were a requirement for Respondent S’s position but were not being used, whilst language skills
were not a requirement for Respondent D’s position even though she now uses her Japanese skills at work.
One issue that was made clear by respondents’ comments is the need for students to work to improve their Japanese
language skills by undertaking study abroad (Respondents C, L and M) or demonstrating their skills by taking the JLPT(Respondent Q). Although the JLPT does not test speaking skills, which this survey demonstrates is the most commonlyused skill, it does provide employers with a somewhat objective means to judge potential employees’ likely Japanese
language ability.
Finally, further research on the use of language in the workplace by graduates is needed. The diversity of responses tothis pilot survey has in some ways raised more questions than answers. While the results indicate that all linguistic skills
are used by graduates to some degree, a longitudinal survey which covers more universities and / or other languages andgraduates’ attitudes to their use (or non-use) of their language skills, and how language skills are used in the workplace,is needed. It would also be useful to include a question on whether graduates had hoped to use their language skills in theworkplace. Future research should incorporate interviews where possible. In conjunction with the results of this survey,
the results of future research would provide the background to develop the measures which can be used to evaluate thesuccess of government initiatives such as the Asian Century White Paper and provide more accurate information to current
and potential Japanese language learners.

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REFERENCES
Bashfield, S. “Indonesian Literacy in Australia: Vocational Experiences of Indonesian Language Graduates” (Honours Thesis, Monash University, 2013).
Careerforum.net. n.d. Sydney Career Forum 2014, http://www.careerforum.net/event/syd/?lang=E (accessed 12 November 2014)
CILT. 2005. Languages Work-Global. Higher - The Bulletin of CILT p.4., quoted in J. Lunn. 2008. “Global perspectives in Higher Education: Taking the Agenda
Forward in the United Kingdom”, Journal of Studies in International Education, 12:3: 231-254.
de Kretser, A. and Spence-Brown, R. 2010. The Current State of Japanese Language Education in Australian Schools, available online at: http://www.
asiaeducation.edu.au/research-and-policy/research-reports/aef/language-reports (accessed 13 November 2014).
DPM&C (Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet). 2012. Australia in the Asian Century, available online at: www.defence.gov.au/whitepaper/2013/
docs/australia_in_the_asian_century_white_paper.pdf (accessed 8 January 2016).
Japan Foundation. 2013. Survey Report on Japanese-Language Education Abroad 2012, (excerpt) available online at: https://www.jpf.go.jp/e/project/japanese/survey/result/survey12.html#report05 (accessed 8 January 2016).
Schwarten, E. 2014. “Lift Education Standards: Linfox boss”. The Australian, 7 May, available online at: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/latest-news/
lift-education-standards-linfox-boss/story-fn3dxity-1226909134533 (accessed 8 January 2016).
Thomson, C. K. 1996. “Employment and Language Ability of Australian Non-native Speakers of Japanese : A Sydney Case Study”, Japanese Studies Bulletin16(1): 15–34.

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APPENDIX 1
QUESTIONNAIRE (in online format)

1. Sex:		

female 		male

2. Student type:

Domestic

International

3. Graduated:

2008

4. Japanese:

major		

5. Japanese:

major (answer Q5A)

2009

2010

2011

2012

minor
minor (answer Q5B)

5A.

Did you do a double major?
Y
N (to Q6)
If yes, what was your other major? (optional)

5B.

What was your major(s)? (optional)

6. Did you study Japanese for your HSC?

Y(Continuers / Extension)N

7. Degree (these include Deans Scholar / Advanced programs):BA		
BCMS		BIS			
BScience
BEng		
Combined (indicate)

BCom
Other

8. Are you employed full-time or part-time at present?		
If no, are you undertaking full-time study? 		

Yes
Yes

No
No

9. Have you undertaken further study since Graduation?
If yes, at what level?
TAFE		
Grad Dip
			 Masters/PhD
Other

Yes

No
Honours

10. Were Japanese language skills a requirement for the position you presently hold?
			 Yes			No
11. Do you use your spoken Japanese language skills in your present position?
			 Yes (go to Q11A and Q11B)
No (go to Q12)
11A. If answer to Q8 is			Yes, how often?
Once a month

On a daily basis
Less often

11B. And to what level?
			Basic			Intermediate with honorifics

At least once a week

Intermediate without honorifics
Advanced

12. Do you use your Japanese reading skills in your present position?
			 Yes			No
If yes, how often?		
On a daily basis		
At least once a week
			 Once a month		
Less often
13. Do you use your Japanese written skills in your present position?
			 Yes			No
If yes, how often?		
On a daily basis		
At least once a week
Less often
			 Once a month		
14. Is your present position the first position you held after graduating with a minor or major in Japanese?
			 Yes (go to Q15)		
No (go to Q14A)
14A. If answer to Q14 was No, were Japanese language skills a requirement for your first position?
			Yes			No (go to Q15)
14B. If answer to Q14 was No, did you use your spoken language skills in your first position?
			Yes (go to Q14B1 and Q14B2)
No (go to Q14C)
14B1. If answer to Q14B was Yes, how often?
On a daily basis
At least once a week

Once a month

14B2. And to what level?
			Intermediate without honorifics
Advanced

Basic			Intermediate with honorifics

Less often

1414C. If answer to Q14B was No, did you use your Japanese reading skills in your first position?
			 Yes			No (go to Q15)
14C1. If answer to Q14C was Yes, how often?
On a daily basis
At least once a week

Once a month

Less often

14C2. If answer to Q14C was No, did you use your Japanese written skills in your first position?
			Yes			No (go to Q15)
If answer to Q14C2 was Yes, how often?
On a daily basis
At least once a week
Once a month
Less often
15. Which industrial sector are you employed in?
Education & Training
Services (includes Tourism, Communications, Finance)
Medical/ Scientific		Government
IT and Telecommunications
Engineering / Construction
Manufacturing
Other
16. H
 ave you used (in any position you have held) the cultural awareness skills you developed studying Japanese in your workplace?		
No
17. How would you describe your position?
Educator / trainer
Administrative
Self-EmployedStudent		

Technical / Specialist
Other (please specify)

YesManagement

Please provide your position title (optional question):		
18. Do you have any comments for students presently studying Japanese language about their employability using their Japanese language skills?
(optional response)		(Space provided for comments.)

END OF QUESTIONNAIRE

APPENDIX 2
Demographic Data
Respondent

Sex

Student Type

Graduation

DegreeMajor

A

FemaleDomestic

2008

BA/BCom

Japanese/Economics

D

FemaleDomestic

2009

BA

History; Japanese minor

E

Male

Domestic

2010

BA

JapaneseF

FemaleDomestic

2010

BCS

Computer Science;
Japanese minor

G

FemaleDomestic

2010

BA

Japanese/Politics

H

FemaleDomestic

2010

BA & MEd

Japanese/Linguistics

J

FemaleInternational

2010

BA

Japanese

K

FemaleDomestic

2011

BA/BCA

Japanese/Creative
Writing

L

FemaleDomestic

2011

BA/BCMS

JapaneseM

FemaleDomestic

2011

BA/BCMS

JapaneseN

FemaleDomestic

2012

BA/BCA

JapaneseO

FemaleDomestic

2012

BA Hons

Japanese/Asia PacificStudiesP

FemaleDomestic

2012

BCom

JapaneseQ

FemaleDomestic

2012

BA/BScJapanese/Biological
ScienceR

FemaleDomestic

2012

BA/BCom

Japanese/Asia PacificStudiesS

FemaleDomestic

2012

BA/BIS

Spanish; Japanese minor

U

FemaleDomestic

2012

BA

Japanese minor