en world Japan White Paper 2022

President's
MessagePresident and Representative Director

Vijay Deol
Began career in professional talent recruitment in 2004 as part of Wall Street Associ-While there was optimism that 2021 would see the end of the

Job seekers in 2022 will find a favorable market. Although

COVID-19 pandemic and a return to normalcy, unfortunately,

the “Great Resignation”—a phrase that has become common

the multiple new variants of the virus and subsequent re-parlance globally—has not been as extreme in Japan, there issponses by governments around the world continued to dis-still an increased willingness within the labor force to consider

rupt day-to-day life. However, optimism for 2021 was not en-

new opportunities, and this trend is sure to continue. Bilingual

tirely misplaced, as the business world continued to adjust to

talent with highly specialized skills will continue to be sought

the new climate and to new working styles. The global econ-

after and, while these candidates will command premium

omy—as well as those of the major industrialized nations, in-compensation, other factors related to employee engagement,

cluding Japan—saw recovery and GDP growth. The economic

such as health, safety, and employee well-being, will be key

recovery, combined with persistent job growth—despite a tal-

considerations as well. Also, Japan has not shifted to a “gig”

ent shortage in Japan—has meant considerable demand for

economy to the same degree as other industrialized coun-recruitment and talent acquisition-related services. This year

tries have, but there has been an increasing trend of workers

should see further optimism, as vaccines and boosters are

migrating away from metropolitan centers and looking for

widely administered and COVID-19’s impact on public healthmore flexibility, in terms of working hours and location as wellis minimized. Despite the uncertainty due to various geopolit-

as employment type. As a result, it is likely that contract andical and socioeconomic factors, this should positively impact

freelance employment arrangements will continue to grow at

the economy and job market, and economic forecasts indicate

an accelerated rate.

continued growth and recovery.

Going forward, en world will continue to focus on our mission

It is reasonable to expect that, in 2022, companies in Japanof enabling our customers’ success. We will continue to takewill try to capitalize on economic recovery, which shoulda more consultative approach with our clients and candidates,

mean a buoyant job market in general, as competition for top

aiming to tailor our services to their specific needs, given thetalent increases. This year, companies will need to pay close

variety and flexibility of the services we can offer. By finding

attention to job seekers’ expectations, as well as to the en-creative opportunities across our permanent, contract, andgagement and retention of key employees. Finding the rightrecruitment process outsourcing services, as well by lever-balance between flexibility, particularly in companies’ require-aging HR technologies across the en Japan group, we aim toments for in-person work, and office environments’ attractive-

meet whatever talent needs our clients may have and to pro-ness to employees is more important than ever. Management

vide the best opportunities to the candidates who place theirwill need to explore new ways to onboard new hires, cultivate

trust in us.

ates K.K., the predecessor of en world Japan

company culture, and promote collaboration in hybrid envi-

K.K. Departed in 2012 to establish the Japanronments that combine both physical and virtual interaction.

base of operations for a British multinational

Those companies that can offer the best working environ-

recruitment firm. Returned in 2017 to serve as
President and Representative Director after the
rebranding to en world.

02 en world Japan white paper 2022

ments, employee engagement, and development opportunities, as well as financial and nonfinancial benefits, will gain anedge in what is sure to be fierce competition for talent.

Market Research

State of Remote Work and Hiring Remote Employees ............................................ 04
Actual Conditions Survey of Job Interview and Top Reasons for Job Change ....... 06

State of Remote Work and Hiring Remote Employees
Companies who intend to implement long-term
remote work in the future81%

Approximately 80% of both foreign capital and Japanese companies indicated that theyplan to continue with remote work when asked if they intend to put long-term remote
work into practice. Apparently, remote work and virtual meetings are likely to be the newnormal even after COVID-19 crisis.

What actions have been taken in your organization to increase
employees' engagement level and build a sense of belonging?
1
Increase 1 on 1 communication between managers and employees

39%2Introduce new communication tools for better online collaboration

36%

3
Set up team meetings more frequently

Office Attendance Rate

*Percentages may not total 100% due to first decimal place rounding.

04 en world Japan white paper 2022

35%

State of Remote Work and Hiring Remote Employees
Companies who consider hiring employees
specifically to work remotely49%

Challenges of Remote Hiring

In terms of the geographic range limits that companies can accept for these specifically

remote employees, “Domestic in Japan only, no restriction as long as it is within Japan(46%)” is the most common answer. In addition, “Outside Japan (areas that are more orless than 4 hours’ time difference)” accounts for only 5% in total. Data indicates that someoverseas remote hiring is taking place in Japan. We expect to see this increase post-pandemic.

Why does your company hire remote workers?
1
Improve talent acquisition capabilities by expanding the target talent pool
to include specifically remote workers

72%

2
Provide a fully remote working environment as an employee benefit

23%

3
Reducing labor and transportation costs

05 en world Japan white paper 2022

21%

[Outline of the survey]
Survey method: Online survey
Area: Japan
Number of valid answers: 230 companies
Period: November 11-18, 2021
Respondent attribute: Foreign capital Companies 44% / Japanese Companies 56%

Actual Conditions Survey of Job Interview and Top Reasons for Job Change
What exactly raised your interest or gave you a good impression?
1
The HR staff was polite and helpful(including during the company visit, before and after the interview).

2
The interviewer was personable.

56%
55%

3
Communication from the HR staff was prompt and responsive(including schedule changes, acceptance/rejection).

78%

4of candidates have become moreinterested in companies throughtheir interview/selection processes

I liked the office/workplace atmosphere.

1

49%

2
Communication from the HR staff was lacking, slow, or rushed (including schedulechanges, acceptance/rejection).

44%

3
The selection process was long and complicated.

37%

4
There were discrepancies between the HR staff and the recruiter(including job descriptions or hiring requirements).

36%

5
The HR staff was not helpful(including during the company visit, before and after the interview).

06 en world Japan white paper 2022

35%

38%

5
They gave me feedback on the interview and my issues, regardless ofwhether I got the job.

What exactly lowered your interest or gave you a bad impression?
The interviewer was rude or not personable.

43%

81%

of candidates have lost interestin companies through theirinterview/selection processes

32%Actual Conditions Survey of Job Interview and Top Reasons for Job Change
Reasons for deciding to change jobs
Position

General employee

General employee(contract/temporary employee)(regular employee)

Manager, Assistant Manager,
Team Leader

General Manager

Executive/C-level

1

Careeradvancement

77％

Increasing salaryand compensation

66％

Careeradvancement

81％

Increasing salaryand compensation

70％

Careeradvancement

53％

2

Increasing salaryand compensation76％

Careeradvancement

60％

Increasing salaryand compensation

69％

Careeradvancement

61％

Increasing salaryand compensation

48％

3

Skill
improvement

51％

Skill
improvement

43％

Skill
improvement

39％

Dissatisfaction withcompany/supervisor
evaluation

41％

Company policies
and culture do not
fit

39％

4

Dissatisfied withwork-life balance

40％

Interpersonal
relationships
at work

34％

Company policies
and culture do not
fit

30％

Skill
improvement

25％

Dissatisfied withwork-life balance

25％

5Interpersonal
relationships
at work

32％

Company policies
and culture do not
fit

24％

Dissatisfaction withcompany/supervisor
evaluation

28％

Interpersonal
relationships
at work

25％

Interpersonal
relationships
at work

24％

Generation

Generation X

Millennials

Both by role and generation, the top reasons for changing jobs were “in-Baby Boomers

creasing salary and compensation” and “career advancement,” followed

1

Careeradvancement

85％

Careeradvancement

74％

Increasing salaryand compensation

60％

2

Increasing salaryand compensation

79％

Increasing salaryand compensation

67％

Company policies
and culture do not
fit

48％

42％

By role, “dissatisfaction with company/supervisor evaluation" ranked highamong middle managers (general manager, manager, assistant manager,
and team leader classes). In contrast, "company policies and culture don'tfit" ranked third among C-level and executives.

3

Skill
improvement

53％

Skill
improvement

37％

Interpersonal
relationships
at work

4

Dissatisfied withwork-life balance

33％

Company policies
and culture do not
fit

30％

Careeradvancement

41％

5Company policies
and culture do not
fit

27％

Dissatisfied withwork-life balance27％

Dissatisfied withwork-life balance27％

07 en world Japan white paper 2022

by “skill improvement.”

There was no significant difference in the rankings among the generations. However, the Baby Boomers ranked reasons related to corporate
culture and people more heavily, including "company policies and culture
do not fit" and "interpersonal relationships at work."

Actual Conditions Survey of Job Interview and Top Reasons for Job Change
Focus when selecting companies
Position

General employee

General employee(contract/temporary employee)(regular employee)

Manager, Assistant Manager,
Team Leader

General Manager

Executive/C-level

1

Salary/compensation

82％

Salary/compensation

61％

Salary/compensation

82％

Salary/compensation

80％

Salary/compensation

68％

2

Work-life
balance70％

Work-life
balance58％

Corporate growthpotential / stability

69％

Corporate culture

66％

Corporate policies

67％3

Corporate growthpotential / stability

68％

Corporate growthpotential / stability

53％

Work-life
balance61％

Corporate growthpotential / stability

57％

Corporate growthpotential / stability

61％

4

Corporate culture

58％

Working styleflexibility

44％

Corporate culture

56％

Corporate policies

52％

Corporate culture

5

Working styleflexibility

57％

Corporate culture

41％

Corporate policies

47％

Work-life
balance43％

Work-life
balance

Generation

Generation X

Millennials

and generation. “Work-life balance" and "corporate culture" entered theSalary/compensation

80％

Salary/compensation

80％

Salary/compensation

68％2

Corporate growthpotential / stability

68％

Corporate growthpotential / stability

65％

Corporate culture59％3Work-life
balance

62％

Working styleflexibility

4

Corporate culture

5

Working styleflexibility

Corporate culture

46％

The top factor was how companies handle salary/compensation by role

Baby Boomers

1

62％

58％

ranks for all positions and ages despite how the rankings varied, indicating that these factors are considered important in selecting a company.
By role, "work style flexibility" ranked high for general employees, indicating the deep-rooted popularity of remote work and flextime systems.
Meanwhile, "corporate policies" was ranked for managers and higher

51％

roles, especially as they move closer to executive positions.
Millennials and Gen X tended to place more importance on "corporate

55％

Work-life
balance61％

Work-life
balance51％

growth potential/stability." However, we did not see any significant difference in the overall ranking of these factors. Furthermore, while "working style flexibility" was not ranked overall, a closer look by age group45％

Corporate policies

50％

Corporate policies

46％

reveals that it ranked fourth (58%) among 35–44-year-olds. This finding
suggests that it is in exceptionally high demand among the child-rearing

08 en world Japan white paper 2022

generation.

Actual Conditions Survey of Job Interview and Top Reasons for Job Change
How job seekers research companies

How job seekers research openings

The most common source for gathering corporate information was “company websites.”

Job seekers ranked “job listing and recruitment websites” number one, at 64%(overall),

Still, “review sites for job seekers” came in second place, ahead of "corporate recruitment

for where they look for job openings. However, job seekers affiliated with foreign capital

pages" in third place. These results suggest that many job seekers also refer to actual ex-companies ranked “LinkedIn" first, at 69%. This figure indicates a significant difference

perience reports and third-party information in addition to official corporate information.

from the results for job seekers affiliated with Japanese companies.
[Outline of the survey]
Survey method: Online survey
Area: Japan
Number of valid answers: 1109
Period: February 26 - March 6, 2022
Respondent attribute: Foreign capital Companies 41% / Japanese Companies 59%

09 en world Japan white paper 2022

Mid-career Recruitment Strategy for 2022

Permanent Recruitment - Overall....................... 11

Permanent Recruitment - Kansai....................... 12

Contract Professionals .......................................... 13
RPO .......................................................................... 14

Permanent Recruitment - Overall【Changes in the Job-Seeker Side of the Job Market】

Remote work and other flexible work conditions becoming
requirements for selecting companies
Candidate availability and mobility increased in 2021 to near pre-COVID-19 levels. While
caution in changing jobs remains the highest in Japan, compared to other developed
countries, appetites for new challenges, learning opportunities, or upward mobility haveencouraged candidates to become more active. Data indicate that flexible working environments—including fully remote work and off-site access—have become major factors
in a candidate's final selection of a future employer. With borders still shut for the foreseeable future, strong candidates will continue to enjoy an abundance of choice whenlooking for a new job.

【Changes in the Corporate Side of the Recruitment Market】

Overall increases in job postings; Demand rising forengineers, data scientists, and AI engineers
The year 2021 marked the second year of the pandemic, and companies accelerated
hiring to catch up with 2020 backlogs and to add headcount to deal with anticipatedbusiness growth. Health care and technology were the two segments with the largest
increase in demand for talent, but all industries recorded higher recruitment, compared
to 2020. Within the technology space, the demand for engineers, data scientists, andAI engineers increased exponentially, with some companies doubling the highest salaryband for qualified candidates and offering 100% fee up campaigns to partner recruitment agencies. As we enter the third year of COVID-19, we anticipate these trends willcontinue, which will place an additional burden on companies to attract, develop, andretain the best talent. Flexible working conditions, remuneration, and long-term career
opportunities will be key to attracting the best talent available in the market. en world
can help you navigate this ever-changing landscape and provide candidates unavailable

Chris Kobayashi

on social media or otherwise inactive.

Vice President, Japan Sales​

11 en world Japan white paper 2022

Permanent Recruitment - Kansai【Changes in the Corporate Side of the Recruitment Market】

Job Postings Return to Pre-COVID Levels:
Increased Demand for Positions in Technology
and Manufacturing

Job openings in the Kansai area in 2020 and 2021 remained nearly flat. Early in the
COVID-19 pandemic, nearly 70% of foreign capital firms put freezes on recruitment.
However, since autumn 2020, recruitment figures have returned to their pre-COVID
levels, with both Japanese and foreign capital firms actively recruiting now. In 2020,
recruitment by primarily consumer goods-related companies was prevalent due to increased consumer spending and stay-at-home demand during the pandemic. In 2020,
hiring picked up in the manufacturing industry, IT/technology companies, and healthcare
firms. Even service industry companies, which had cut back recruitment, are starting topost jobs, with overall job openings fully returning to pre-COVID levels. Most of the open
positions are in technology, followed by manufacturing. In an economy that presumes
remote work, the market is seeing more posts to create new frameworks and promote
projects. Another feature of the job market is the breadth of positions available, including recruitment for administrative divisions, which had been limited last fiscal year, andremote sales positions.

【Changes in the Job Seeker Side of the Job Market】

Declining job seeker numbers contrast rising job
application and job offer rates due to evolving
attitudes toward job change
From 2020 to 2021, overall job seekers in the Kansai area fell by 20% year on year. This
statistic represents a trend seen amid multiple states of emergency in the Kansai region.
It implies that more people are watching future economic trends or have decided toremain in their current positions. In particular, the gradual decline in the number of job
seekers since early spring, followed by an increase after bottoming out around summer,
could be correlated with restrained public traffic and economic conditions in the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, individual job seekers exhibit significant shifts in their attitude and activities toward changing jobs. The reply rate to our recruiters has increased
by 20% since last year, and the percentage of job seekers who have changed jobs after
registering with us has grown by 1.2 times. In particular, many job seekers are seriously
considering changing jobs during the pandemic, and both the job application and offer
acceptance rates after registering with us are high. The rise of telecommuting has also
increased flexibility in work locations. As a result, more job seekers have returned from

Taku Yamashita
Osaka office​Director

12 en world Japan white paper 2022

Tokyo to find companies in their home Kansai region. In 2022, the overall number of job
seekers should return to pre-COVID numbers.

Contract Professionals【Changes in the Job-Seeker Side of the Job Market】

High-skill professionals increasingly need both higher
salaries and job continuity
The coronavirus has acted as a catalyst for a trend that was already beginning to takehold in 2017—a desire for more flexible work. While the government is determined tominimize the overall number of temp workers to improve stability and quality of life forits citizens, the demand for specialized contract workers with unique skill sets continues
to grow. Specifically, experienced project managers, business analysts, and technology
consultants enjoy great continuity of work, and high pay and demand for these skill sets
will increase. Agencies compete to retain the best high-skilled workers and to ensure
successful redeployment without interruption between assignments.

【Changes in the Corporate Side of the Recruitment Market】

Need for highly skilled temporary professional staffing has
doubled in five years
Demand for low-skill, low-wage temporary workers has shifted, with growing government regulations and an agenda to get more citizens permanent, full-time employment.
Although en world continues to keep and develop inventories of these workers that we
can deploy on short notice, these market changes have compelled us to move upstream
and focus on specialized areas within finance, IT, sales, and supply chains. The demandfor higher skilled temp staff has doubled over the past five years, and our goal is todisrupt the traditional consulting market within the specific areas of business transformation (BX), post-merger integration (PMI), project management (PM), and system upgrade/implementation.

Chris Kobayashi
Vice President, Japan Sales​

13 en world Japan white paper 2022

RPO
【Changes in the Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) Market】

Recruitment resumption places a sudden strain on hiring
departments, increasing demand for RPO
In 2021, some companies, especially in the healthcare and IT/technology sectors, significantly boosted their hiring numbers from 2020. This increase was due to a period ofcalm in the pandemic and the spread of vaccinations. Furthermore, against a backdropof many companies freezing most recruitment in 2020 and downsizing their hiring departments, the burden on recruiters increased dramatically once hiring resumed, resulting in a gradual increase in demand for RPO from the second half of last year. While
companies are hiring more, many of them are considering RPO services because they
feel it is risky to increase their hiring teams with full-time employees due to the still uncertain future of the pandemic. In general, rather than considering RPO to reduce costs
associated with sourcing, many companies sought RPO to manage the process andavoid the aforementioned risks associated with personnel.

【Changes in the Job Seeker Side of the Job Market】

Growing demand for recruiters and changing corporate
requirements
With the rising demand for RPO at many companies, each RPO provider faces the challenge of finding recruiters to carry out these projects. The demand for recruiters isincreasing throughout the industry due to the resumption of recruiting activities andthe jump in job openings. Meanwhile, there are unprecedented challenges in hiring experienced recruiters, from those who can manage the entire recruiting process to thosespecializing in sourcing. This trend has led to some changes in the requirements of
the recruiters that companies need. Specifically, companies that used to consider only
those recruiters with internal corporate HR experience are now increasingly hiring candidates even if they only have recruiting agency experience. In response to this situation, en world’s RPO division is continuously working to hire excellent recruiters and train
recruiters in-house.

Sei Okaniwa
Head of RPO Services

14 en world Japan white paper 2022

Trends and the Key to Success in Mid-career
Recruitment

Banking and Financial Services ................................................. 16
Consulting ................................................................................... 17
Consumer Goods and Retail ...................................................... 18
IT, Digital and Telecommunication
Manufacturing, Industrial......................................... 19......................................................... 20

Medical Devices, Pharmaceutical, and Life Sciences ............... 21
Technology................................................................................ 22

Japanese IT / Startup companies ............................................... 23
Executive Search ......................................................................... 24........................................................... 25

Finance and Accounting

Human Resources and General Affairs ...................................... 26
Legal and Compliance............................................................... 27

Supply Chain Management ....................................................... 28
Contract Professionals - HR ....................................................... 29
Contract Professionals - IT....................................................... 30

Trends and the key to success in mid-career recruitment

Banking and Financial Services
Characteristics and Elements of Successful
Corporate Recruitment

Looking Back on 2021

Outlook for Recruitment Trends in 2022

Economic conditions were a tailwind,encouraging recruitment from junior tosenior positions

Competition for hiring is intensifying
in middle/back-office andoperations positions

The key to success lies in selling points
other than exclusivity and job postings

Many financial institutions improved their performance

The financial industry promises increased recruitment

Companies that have been successful in financial in-even during the COVID-19 pandemic, as economic con-activity in the future. In particular, middle/back-office

dustry recruitment tend to have a wider acceptanceditions proved to be a tailwind. The recruitment market

and operations positions are becoming more compet-

window during the first round of interviews to see thewas also active in 2021, with demand growing among

itive, as very few people have relevant experience incandidate’s experience and background alongside theirgeneral financial institutions and service providers thatthe market. Successful recruiting requires flexibility andskills and personality. Many companies have also beencater to the financial industry. On the job seeker side,a review of hiring conditions to meet the needs of job

successful by making online interviews and interviewsthe expansion of the cashless and payment solutions

seekers, rather than sticking to traditional recruitment

with their global headquarters more efficient for bothmarket has led to an increase in the number of people

methods. Meanwhile, in the private equity (PE), hedge

the company and the candidate by sharing informationconsidering a career change, especially from traditional

fund (HF), and M&A areas, there are many job seekers

with the interviewers. On the other hand, job seekers

large financial institutions, at all levels, from junior todespite the high barrier to entry.

tend to be more aggressive in applying for more exclu-

senior. This trend stems from the fact that the online

Furthermore, increased investment demand in the mar-sive-seeming positions because of the relatively large

nature of the business has made people feel less con-ket is encouraging investment in both traditional andnumber of available jobs. Therefore, a step toward suc-nected to the company they work for and more familiar

alternative assets. As a result, we expect to see a wide

cess would be to provide candidates with selling points

with the idea of changing careers. More job seekers arerange of hiring activities from junior- to senior-level po-

beyond what is listed in the job posting, while working

also emphasizing work-life balance. Many companies

sitions in the future.

closely with the recruiting sites and agents.

are once again introducing or continuing remote workand reassessing the work-life balance of their employees.

Yusuke Gemma
Banking and Financial Services Division
Team Manager

16 en world Japan white paper 2022

Trends and the key to success in mid-career recruitment

Consulting

Characteristics and Elements of Successful
Corporate Recruitment

Looking Back on 2021

Outlook for Recruitment Trends in 2022

Recruitment numbers on the rise, as demand for IT and digital talent grows

More hiring for the next stage in consulting, focused on implementation support

Most consulting firms saw a steady increase in hiring

Recruitment numbers should continue their upward

last year. In the consulting industry, where client-facing

momentum into 2022. Specifically, clients have recent-work is typical, the COVID pandemic allowed almost

ly begun expecting consulting firms not only to draw

Since consulting firms are labor-intensive businesses,

all companies to work remotely. The fact that it proved

up strategies but also to support their implementation

they have established internal structures. That means

possible to provide value from home without signifi-(remaining committed until results are achieved). For

the leading factors differentiating among them include

cant differences in client response or quality looks toinstance, more IT consultancies are establishing new

their efforts to improve work-life balance, allow tele-

be a substantial tailwind for recruitment. Moreover, theimplementation divisions that include design and devel-

commuting (working from distant regions, including ru-

growing uncertainty surrounding the pandemic andopment. The market expects the industry as a whole toral areas), and promote diversity.

the future has raised the prospects of consulting firms,

imagine new value and realize ideals. As a result, com-

For these reasons, and given that this sector faces in-leading to increasing recruitment across all industries

panies will likely bolster their IT and digital personnel

tense competition for job seekers, the primary key toand domains, particularly in the IT and digital fields.

ranks more than ever before, while also increasing the

success is balancing speed, flexibility, and approachhiring of personnel for traditional consulting plus that

vectors in the selection process. The process shouldnext level of transformation support.

be as quick as possible, include early casual interviews,

Essentials lie in comfortable work environments alongside flexible and speedy
selection processes

and share information with candidates from partners
and similarly experienced peers.

Yu Hiraoka
Consulting, Technology Division
Associate Director

17 en world Japan white paper 2022

Trends and the key to success in mid-career recruitment

Consumer Goods and RetailCharacteristics and Elements of Successful
Corporate Recruitment

Looking Back on 2021

Outlook for Recruitment Trends in 2022

Demand for digital talent is on the rise,and sales personnel need to haveclear strengths

Continued hiring of digital talent with anemphasis on EC anddigital marketing strategies

Differentiating from other companies
essential to securing candidates

Unlike in 2020, when fashion and other retailers ex-

It appears that corporate hiring will remain flat or in-

Companies need to sell themselves when recruitingcrease slightly compared to 2021. Hiring demand may

human resources in highly competitive seller’s markets,grow more as the pandemic comes to an end, allowing

as in digital talent. When recruiting these candidates, it

travel and inbound demand to increase. Overall, the hir-is especially crucial to let them know what type of anding of digital talent involved in e-commerce and digital

how much data they will work with and to what extent

marketing should continue, as will the seller’s market

they will have discretion in their duties. Some compa-

for everything from entry-level to executive positions.

nies use remote environments, flextime, and corporate

Of recent note, consumer goods manufacturers, which

culture as their main selling points. However, these con-conventionally have not had their own EC platforms,

ditions are now the bare minimum, making it hard to dif-have begun launching their own Direct-to-Consumer

ferentiate one company from another. Our clients will in-(D2C) channels, as they emphasize omni-channel strat-

crease their closing rates by skillfully leveraging agentsegies for both brick-and-mortar and online stores. Dig-

like us to capture the points that candidates truly careital talent with relevant experience should be especiallyabout and convey them during an interview.

perienced a significant decline in hiring in response to
the “Living With COVID-19” approach, many companies resumed hiring in 2021. However, digitization andthe shift to e-commerce continue to be an issue for allcompanies. The number of jobs for digital personnel isalso still steadily rising. In comparison, the number ofso-called general route sales jobs has decreased significantly compared to the pre-COVID period. As a result,while it is a seller’s market with multiple offers for digital
personnel, sales personnel are still more likely to facecompetition unless they have obvious advantages, including English language proficiency, unique networks,
or numerical analysis skills.

valuable in this industry.

Yu Takada
Consumer Goods and Retail Division
Team Manager

18 en world Japan white paper 2022

Trends and the key to success in mid-career recruitment

IT, Digital and Telecommunication
Looking Back on 2021

Outlook for Recruitment Trends in 2022

Strong popularity for
flexible work styles, not tied to location

Continued high demand fordata
scientists, analysts, and engineers

With the coronavirus and the prevalence of remote

Demand for IT will continue into 2022, as organizations

working, candidates emphasize companies' WFH pol-place an emphasis on data-driven decisions to drive

icies. Candidates much prefer working where there

businesses. Job functions such as data scientists, data

is flexibility, and companies that offer those working

analysts, and data engineers will continue to be in de-conditions tend to be more popular than others. From

mand in the market. Candidates in other areas, such as

the company side, those that implement a face-to-developers, project managers, and business analysts,

face process tend to be left behind, compared to thosewill continue to be in demand as well. Companies thatcompanies that conduct their interviews fully online. We

succeed in hiring talent will be those that offer flexible

are also seeing a few companies that have implement-

working conditions.

ed Work from Anywhere, and they are well-received bycandidates.

Characteristics and Elements of Successful
Corporate Recruitment

Fast, simple interview processes are
the key to successTo be successful in hiring, firms should limit the numberof interviews as much as possible. It is still a candidate-short market, and many firms are trying to hire thebest talent in the market. Those firms that still have along interview process will lose those candidates simply
due to a lack of speed. Typically, those firms that are
successful in hiring limit their interviews to two steps.
If multiple interviewers must be involved, it would be
advisable to group them. Furthermore, many firms still
adhere to a rigid process whereby they need to have anumber of candidates at a certain interview step before
proceeding to the next. Firms should know the profilesof those candidates who will be successful in their environments and act the moment those candidates appear.

Ken Matsuo
IT Division
Team Manager

19 en world Japan white paper 2022

Trends and the key to success in mid-career recruitment

Manufacturing, Industrial
Looking Back on 2021

Outlook for Recruitment Trends in 2022

Active recruitment of mid-level and senior employees focused on real-worldcompetency

Sales positions decline, but demand forengineering positions continues to rise

During the first state of emergency, companies halted
hiring, reviewed their headcounts, and stopped posting
many job openings. However, with the pandemic’s end
nowhere in sight, many Japanese and foreign companies have reopened recruitment, fueling a significant
recovery in the number of general job openings in the
manufacturing industry. Many companies explicitly hire
more middle- and senior-level workers with real-worldcompetency rather than younger workers. By sector, therenewable energy, data center, semiconductor, robotics, chemical, and plant industries are bolstering their
recruitment efforts, with few companies refraining fromhiring due to the COVID pandemic. However, as mentioned above, the main focus is on hiring experienced
employees rather than entry-level positions, reflecting
our impression that many companies are focused on
meeting immediate work needs.

As the end of the pandemic remains out of sight, fewer
companies are not recruiting due to COVID, entrenching
the mid-career market firmly in the era of living with thevirus. Demand for manufacturing-oriented engineers
will be significantly greater than before, as stay-athome demand has spurred advances in IoT and otherdigitalization, coinciding with delivery delays in relatedindustries. Conversely, sales and other positions that
require face-to-face contact with clients will decreasein number. Even if personnel counts decline due to retirement or other reasons, trends are evolving to coverlabor needs with existing numbers.

Characteristics and Elements of Successful
Corporate Recruitment

Companies need to find simple, flexible
recruitment methods during the pandemic
A feature of companies struggling with recruitment ishaving many interviews. Having numerous interviewers
is especially likely to hinder recruitment. Naturally, themore stakeholders there are for a position, the more
people will participate in the interview process. However, the more interviewers there are, the more difficult it
is to reach a consensus, and the less likely candidates
will become hired.
Moreover, while many companies still prefer face-toface interviews for the final interview, these organizations are likely to lose candidates to companies comfortable with online interviews. This trend stems fromthe varying degrees to which candidates are concerned
about COVID infection risks and the challenges inscheduling face-to-face interviews. The COVID-19 pandemic requires all companies to seek new recruitment
methods rather than remain stuck in conventional practices.

Yuki Amemiya
Manufacturing, Industrial Division
Associate Director

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Trends and the key to success in mid-career recruitment

Medical Devices, Pharmaceutical, and Life Sciences
Looking Back on 2021

Pioneering companies optimistic about
newly established positions amid COVID’s continuing impact
It goes without saying that COVID-19 substantially impacted the market in 2021, as it did in 2020. The government announced its Growth Strategy Action Plan,
and the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare issued its
Pharmaceutical Industry Vision 2021 for the first timein eight years. Nevertheless, the pharmaceutical industry experienced a year in which a series of fraudulent
manufacturing practices emerged among generic drug
manufacturers. Meanwhile, repeated supply shortages
resulted in market confusion and impacted recruitment.
On the other hand, many pioneering companies came tous for consulting related to establishing various recruitment criteria, as well as confidential recruitment mattersrelated to newly created positions and other issues not
related to securing outstanding human resources.

Outlook for Recruitment Trends in 2022
The following recruitment trends and needs are likely toemerge in the pharmaceutical and medical instrument

The following are case studies in successful recruitment

sectors:

campaigns by companies we have supported since last

1. Pharmaceutical manufacturers
Market access, medical affairs, medical science liaison (MSL)
In the global market, biopharmaceuticals rank high in termsof sales, as personnel needs are on the rise in regenerative
medicine and cell and gene therapy. With the diversificationof pharmaceuticals, more companies are bolstering theirmarket access divisions, increasing job opportunities in drug
pricing strategy, health economics and outcomes research(HEOR), and health technology assessment (HTA). In Japan,
clinical development and safety information management
are in high demand as new drugs are developed. In addition, companies will continue to shore up their recruitment
in medical affairs and MSLs, as they focus on obtaining insights from scientific and technical liaisons (STLs) and key
opinion leaders (KOLs) in the medical field to promote newtreatment methods.

2. Medical instrument manufacturers
Digital marketing/sales analysts, business intelligence, commercial excellenceWith the trend of promoting marketing automation (MA) to
medical device manufacturers, business intelligence (BI)jobs increased. Companies are looking for BI personnel to
implement digital tools from the ground up and possess analytical skills. Moreover, business investment in digital health,including prevention and treatment apps and online medical care for general patients, has increased. The resulting
competition means there is greater demand for personnel innew business and market access (insurance reimbursement)
positions, as the level of interest in non-medical sectors is
growing.

21 en world Japan white paper 2022

Characteristics and Elements of Successful
Corporate Recruitment

year:
1. Examples of corporate appeal and brand PR
In the life science industry, especially in the health techfield, where companies have many stakeholders and complex business structures, some firms have posted online
materials to websites and other media for successful application during the recruitment process. The advantage
is that companies can share with candidates presentation
slides and corporate PR videos that summarize their work in
an easy-to-understand manner.

2. Examples of efforts in confidential projects
Especially for high-layer, difficult-to-hire positions or thosewith a high degree of confidentiality, companies must first
consult and closely communicate with the recruiting agent
regarding the recruitment strategy. This requirement prevents leaking more recruitment information (including company name or position title) than necessary to the market.
They can either work with one exclusive search firm or
select two agents and create a candidate list based on thestrengths of each. These approaches allow for approachingspecific job seekers in the market on a limited basis, whichhas proved successful for confidential projects.

Toshiyuki Takahashi
Life Sciences Division
Associate Director

Trends and the key to success in mid-career recruitment

Technology
Looking Back on 2021

Hiring intensifies among cloud-focusedcompanies, sometimes enticing candidates with offers at higher-than-budget
compensation
It is a seller’s market in 2021, as IT company demand
to hire continues its rise amid accelerating corporate
investment in DX. As telecommuting became more popular in response to living with COVID, more companies
have urgently promoted a shift to the cloud. Recruitment
demand is rising, especially among these cloud-focused corporations. As a result, the competition for job
seekers is intensifying among companies, especially for
those who can make an immediate impact. Job seekers
often receive multiple job offers, so companies often offer more favorable compensation packages than initiallybudgeted to prevent them from rejecting these offers.

Outlook for Recruitment Trends in 2022

Companies continue to expand theirworkforces, as hiring requirements become more fragmented and specialized
For IT companies, the Japanese market is often seen
as a potential market second only to North America. In
response, many global companies with advanced technologies have entered Japan in the past few years. As
companies rapidly expand their headcounts to meet theincreasing demand in the Japanese market, the competition for job seekers will continue. In particular, as the
SaaS market continues to grow and services for various
industries and sectors emerge, the requirements for job
seekers tend to become more segmented. For example,
more positions require some sort of expertise, including“sales experience in the financial industry” or “financeand accounting knowledge.”

Characteristics and Elements of Successful
Corporate Recruitment

Companies promoting companywide recruitment and their appeal tend toward
success
Companies that are successful in recruiting even in
today’s seller’s market tend to promote recruitmentcompanywide. Even employees who are not directly
involved in the hiring process are actively recruiting talented people by leveraging their own networks to connect with referrals or regularly speaking at recruitment
webinars. Furthermore, from the first interview, hiring
managers and country managers personally conduct interviews to promote their company’s attractiveness andraise job applicants’ interest in the company. Such companies have fewer candidates decline job offers, proving
successful recruiters even in a seller’s market.

Takuya Minami
Technology Division
Team Manager

22 en world Japan white paper 2022

Trends and the key to success in mid-career recruitment

Japanese IT / Startup companies
Looking Back on 2021

Increased demand for customer successpositions and enterprise experience

Outlook for Recruitment Trends in 2022

At the start of 2021, the continued impact of the COV-

B2B SaaS companies are booming,alongside increasing hiring for in-house
DX positions

ID-19 pandemic led to fewer job postings and halted

Due to the uncertain economic outlook, hiring is still

recruitment. However, there have been no significant
changes since then, and job postings are rising. In 2021,
the following types of jobs became more common,alongside the old excess demand for engineers and designers:

slow, especially among companies that derive their revenue from advertising. Job seekers are also cautious.
On the other hand, B2B SaaS companies are generally
thriving. Those with horizontal SaaS as their core business are top-rated among job seekers and will continue

1. Planning positions that consider the big picture, including

to show steady growth. In addition to SaaS personnel

management and business planningfrom Japanese companies, there should also be an in-

2. Customer success positions in the B2B SaaS domain, withthe goal of maintaining clients’ service contracts and committing to their results
3. Field sales staff with enterprise experience in the B2B

crease in companies seeking individuals from foreigncompanies and those capable of adjusting to corporate
business strategies.

SaaS domain

The trend toward DX among Japanese companies is(Business trends in this area are shifting from SMBs to enter-also accelerating recruitment among B2B SaaS com-prise-oriented sales.)panies. Simultaneously, leading legacy companies are

On the other hand, job seekers are now more concerned
about business stability, growth potential, market
uniqueness, and other factors that make them feel secure in their work environment than about whether they
are at a leading company or a start-up. As a result, lastyear brought a somewhat conservative trend, with job
seekers who have not yet reached 100% motivation forchanging jobs ultimately remaining in their current positions.

further accelerating their hiring for internal DX positions
to take advantage of this trend. While previously, DX-related positions were kept private and in limited numbers,
more companies will be significantly expanding their
DX recruitment in the future. However, the fuel driving
recruitment will likely be securing human resources andCharacteristics and Elements of Successful
Corporate Recruitment

Ongoing recruitment branding and strategies for multiple channels are crucial
In the same way that making good products is notenough to sell them, posting jobs is not enough to recruit personnel. Companies must assess the recruitment
market and create recruitment branding and formats
that fit the current trends over the medium to long term.
Successful companies share the following three characteristics:
1. Practical and ongoing recruitment publicity
2. Establishing referral recruiting throughout the company
and having many employee ambassadors
3. CEOs and other top management approaching candidates,
including with appearances early in the selection process

Various recruitment channels are available, including
job advertisements and direct recruiting, not to mention recruitment agencies such as ours. The more precise the strategy in each channel, the more successful
the recruitment. At the same time, companies that use
conventional job posting and information dissemination
methods tend to face more prolonged and challenging
recruiting.

focusing on the cultural fit with the founding businessand the core organization. As a result, recruitment publicity and company branding will be vital.

Yuichi Aoki
Nikkei Division
Associate Director

23 en world Japan white paper 2022

Trends and the key to success in mid-career recruitment

Executive Search
Looking Back on 2021

Intensifying competition for bilingual
talent; Job seekers finding more options
Industries are transforming, creating new competition
for bilingual talent. The automotive industry continues
to draw top talent from traditional tech-industry candidates. Japanese companies continue to target internationally minded foreign business talent across skill
sets. There have never been so many opportunities
from which to choose candidates. This trend toward aneven more competitive recruitment landscape will only
continue as we are seeing a big increase in candidates’
engagement in understanding what new opportunities
would look like in different businesses and industries.
For job seekers in Japan, there has rarely been a better
time to make a career change. Salary increases, work
styles, and company work benefits were the main pull
factors for candidates who considered moving in 2021.
Push factors across the board can be attributed to pandemic fatigue, the ability to work from home and the
expectation of working from an office.

Outlook for Recruitment Trends in 2022

Characteristics and Elements of Successful
Corporate Recruitment Recruitment

Increasing job change opportunities
means more job offer rejections;
Experience is more important during thescreening process

Cultural Fit vs Skill Set – how to identify candidates who

As borders open and work from home continues to de-can develop into a role while being a positive addition

velop beyond this normalizing phase to becoming morecommon, we will begin to see the spread of senior leadership roles throughout the region, specifically in corporate functions. Commercial functions will continue to be
driven locally, with a heavy emphasis on digital transformation, omni-channel establishment, and in some cases, metaverse market development. Over the last two
years, during the pandemic, there has been a dramatic
shift in consumer consumption styles, and this will only
continue in 2022.
With increased competition for talent, a candidate’s experience with the interview process has never been so
important. Job-offer rejection rates will soar, because
candidates know that they will have many opportunities
to consider, and so they will take their time in choosing
which company they want to join. Candidates’ priorities
will continue to shift as well, with great interest in a potential employer’s employee value proposition, sustainability strategies, work-from-home policies, as well as thefurther development of work-from-anywhere benefits
and the transition to a post-COVID work environment.

Finding a balance between skill andculture matches is crucial

to a business’s culture. Hiring mistakes are often madewhen the decision is to overemphasize skill sets and experience over a cultural fit. Those who fit the culture ofa business have shown the ability to persevere throughonboarding, skill development, and challenges within abusiness. Finding the right balance in your evaluation
process will lead to identifying new and viable candidate
pools that can be explored and used to help drive decision making, and ultimately to making the right hiring
choices.
Recruitment strategies have also been shifting to meetan increased expectation for recruitment partnershipand developing a stronger candidate experience to help
showcase the leader, the business opportunity, and theculture of the business. There is also a need for greater alignment between agency and hiring managers toensure candidate exclusivity in an attempt to positively
effect time-to-fill and successful hire rates.

Scott Wallace
Executive Search
Director

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Trends and the key to success in mid-career recruitment

Finance and Accounting
Looking Back on 2021

restarted their searches. At the start of the pandemic,

Recently we have seen many formerly satisfied employ-

many job seekers naturally put their searches on holdees venture back into the job market when their employ-

to wait for more stable times. Based on the activity weer stopped or limited their remote-work policy. In othersee, this seems to be the case now, and both job seek-

cases, companies with no remote-work policy have not

Finance and accounting are necessary and essential

ers and companies seeking talent have bounced back.

been able to secure any talent, and after several months

functions for companies. Compared to other businessThis is not yet at 2019 levels, but it is a solid, positive

with no recruitment results, they have implemented re-functions, this area remains relatively constant, evenupswing, and it looks to continue this way. At the same

mote-work policies to remain competitive in the market.

during crises, pandemics. This has proven to be thetime, the effect of virus variants has yet to be under-

Work styles have fundamentally changed, and compa-

case in the two and one-half years since the pandemic

stood, and we will see how it affects the market.

nies also need to adapt to be competitive. A flexible,

Stable demand continues for positions
not as susceptible to the latest trends

remote-work environment is now a candidate priority,

started. This is not to say that it has not been affected,
but it has been affected much less than other functions,and in some cases, the demand for certain financeprofessionals to help in these difficult economic times
has increased. Overall, from a recruitment standpoint,
we saw a 19% drop in finance and accounting positions

Characteristics and Elements of Successful
Corporate Recruitment

Remote work environments are mostimportant for staff-level positions

from 2019 to 2020. But from 2020 to 2021, we saw an

In general the talent market in finance and account-increase of 11.5%. So 2021 was still about 10% lower ining has changed. Though this is true across various

job volume in finance and accounting than 2019 was,industries and functions, we have noticed that for the

but it is on an upward trajectory.

vast majority of finance and accounting candidates,

and companies that cannot accommodate this need willclearly lose out in the talent acquisition race. Will yourorganization take the necessary steps to remain competitive?

one of the top requirements is the freedom to work re-

Outlook for Recruitment Trends in 2022

Activity recovering among both
employers and job seekers
As predicted, after widespread vaccinations in Japanand with almost 80% of the population now vaccinated,
there has been a bounce back in job recruitment. Not
only have most of the hiring freezes been lifted and active hiring resumed but many more job seekers have25 en world Japan white paper 2022

motely. This demand is particularly widespread among
non-managerial staff; however, it is also present in the
managerial echelons, but not to the same degree.
Many of us have spent the last two and a half years
adjusting to the remote-work style and working from
home, and this has become the norm. For many financeprofessionals, a great deal of overtime is required duringmonthly, quarterly, and annual reporting periods, andJustin Kamihara

being able to work remotely makes this easier to handle

Finance and Accounting Division

with the time saved on commuting etc.

Associate Director

Trends and the key to success in mid-career recruitment

Human Resources and General Affairs
Looking Back on 2021

Outlook for Recruitment Trends in 2022

The Great Resignations has arrived;
HR departments focus on employee
development and retention

HR Business Partner role becoming more
popular among Japanese firms as well

The Japanese HR job market rebounded sharply in 2021

there continues to be a short supply of top global talent

after a very slow 2020. In 2020, HR professionals re-in Japan, the demand for talent acquisition, learning andsponded to the pandemic by rapidly updating policies

development, talent management, and organizationaland regulations to keep employees safe, while trying todevelopment professionals will continue to rise.

maintain productivity and optimize costs in a "new nor-

There continues to be a heavy operational burden on

mal" working environment. Hiring plans were uncertain,

HR in Japan, although there is a desire to move toward

job seekers sought security, and often HR professionals

a more strategic role—especially in global companies.

put their personal career aspirations on hold to support

Client-facing HR Business Partners were once only

their companies and colleagues. With the Great Resig-

found in foreign capital companies, but now HRBPs arenation in 2021 impacting the war for talent, the focus

common in Japanese MNCs as well. Meanwhile, somefor HR shifted to attracting, developing, and retaining

administrative HR roles will continue to be offshored andkey employees. This led to a surge of new opportunities

outsourced. It can be difficult for professionals with ain HR jobs as well, and more HR professionals resumed

more administrative / operational focus to gain exposure

thinking about their own careers.

to HR strategy, so there can be a misalignment between

Many HR skills are in higher demand in 2022. As long as

the demand from companies for HR with hands-on operational excellence and with strategic capability.

Characteristics and Elements of Successful
Corporate Recruitment

Structural investments in HR are the key
to securing human resources
Since HR professionals in Japan often start their careersin another function, candidates may be a little older thantheir counterparts in other countries. HR job seekers
with strong experience and sought-after skill sets often
have multiple options and offers, so candidates are going to look for a salary increase in most cases.
Foreign capital companies often localize existing policies for the Japanese market, so it is easier for HR professionals in Japan to gain strategic HR / HR planning
experience in consulting firms or Japanese companies.
Talent from these areas should not be overlooked, even
if there may be a trade-off when it comes to English.
Becoming an employer of choice for HR often means
showing the company's investment in HR. Supporting
the professional growth of HR employees with a careerplan and an organization that allows for mobility within
the company can help retain HR talent for the long term.
This is especially true for female talent.

Jason Bonitsky
HR and GA Division
Associate Director

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Trends and the key to success in mid-career recruitment

Legal and ComplianceLooking Back on 2021

Outlook for Recruitment Trends in 2022

Characteristics and Elements of Successful
Corporate Recruitment

Trends toward focusing on experience
for mid- and senior-level employees andseeking potential in young workers

More job openings related to personal
information protection, compliance, andgovernance

Last year, recruitment increased compared to 2020,

The need for personnel with legal qualifications andbut there was still a sense of stagnation compared toEnglish language proficiency will remain high, regardlessSince young, talented candidates with high potential

the pre-pandemic times. However, the second half ofof age group. Simultaneously, interest in the businessoften receive multiple offers, it seems that companies

the year exhibited a marked return to form. Compa-

and communication with other departments continue

do well in recruitment when they respond quickly andnies tended to seek more specific experience from theto be just as vital as the legal work itself. In terms offlexibly in their selection process. The way the hiring

middle and senior age groups, while looking at the highwork areas, handling Japanese-English contracts anddepartment handles the process from the first interview

potential of younger workers even if they lacked experi-

providing business-based legal advice hold importancealso can make a good impression on candidates.

ence. The need for qualified legal professionals has also

among hiring companies. Additionally, since the second

Casual interviews, including explaining the company

grown more.

half of last year, there has been an increase in the num-and its business, held before the formal selection pro-

For job seekers, younger people are becoming more

ber of projects seeking experience in compliance withcess also tend to increase the candidate’s interest inaware of the breadth of possibilities in future career

the Personal Information Protection Act (including GDPR

the company, facilitating future discussions.

paths, not only within a single firm. Flexible working

compliance and data security), general complianceMore and more qualified attorney candidates want tostyles and working remotely have also become impor-(whistleblowing and fraud investigations), and corporate

handle a small number of individual matters as an attor-

tant factors for all age groups.

governance. The financial industry continues to exhibit

ney even after becoming a full-time employee. There-

demand for compliance and AML.

fore, one way to recruit suitable candidates could be toRegardless of whether they are Japanese or foreign-af-

allow them to work on the side as long as it does notfiliated, IT firms, start-ups, companies planning IPOs,

constitute a conflict of interest.

Flexibility and speed in selection will bean advantage; More candidates want todo side workand companies aiming to expand globally increasingly
need to move their legal work in-house. By sector, thismovement is particularly relevant in the finance, manufacturing, IT, and life sciences fields.

Kayo Hayashi
Legal and Compliance DivisionPrincipal Consultant

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Trends and the key to success in mid-career recruitment

Supply Chain Management
Looking Back on 2021

Outlook for Recruitment Trends in 2022

Characteristics and Elements of Successful
Corporate Recruitment

Recruitment grows in consumer industries, with job postings back at pre-COVID levels

Increased concentration on hiring forEnglish language skills and immediate
results

Better offers must be considered forhighly competitive candidates

The number of job openings dropped sharply from early

Many APAC offices for foreign capital firms are locat-

As mentioned earlier, recruitment for SCM positions

2020 through autumn of the same year due to hiring

ed in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Shanghai, with anis becoming increasingly challenging due to the con-freezes at many foreign capital firms. However, it has

increasing number of job openings requiring English

centration of job offers given to specific candidates.

since gradually recovered, returning to pre-COVID levels

language skills. While there is still a high demand for

Therefore, the key to success in hiring is to clarify theat this point. During these changes, the following trends

candidates with strong English language proficiency

recruitment targets and appeal to candidates with the

emerged:and ERP/SAP experience, data show a 15% difference incompany’s strengths while communicating clearly what

annual salary between candidates with and without lan-differentiates the company from its competition. The

guage skills. Companies also tend to seek candidates

competition for hiring candidates with English languagewith experience in the same industry and who can makeskills and ERP/SAP experience is also extremely high, sohiring, especially in consumer industries, followed by

an immediate impact, leading to more precise hiring

companies will need to carefully consider their require-

healthcare and industrial products.

requirements. As a result, jobs are concentrated on aments and make above-par offers.

1. Industries
The growth of e-commerce and the launch of new services
in the wake of the COVID pandemic have led to increased

2. Positions
In 2020, recruitment increased for supply chain planningcertain number of candidates with industry experience,increasing recruitment challenges. When recruiting,(SCP), sales & operations planning (S&OP), and SCM

companies must carefully assess what are “must-have”

consulting. There was greater demand for structuring andrequirements and what are “nice to have” requirements.

business improvement. In 2021, hiring for indirect purchasing
and logistics-related positions increased.

There should also be growth in recruitment in the life
science and consumer fields.

3. Telecommuting status
Telecommuting is uncommon in manufacturing, factory
work, and production areas, while most planning-related
positions require it.

The overall number of registered candidates for SCM
positions did not change significantly between 2020

Taku Yamashita

and 2021.

Technology Division
Associate Director

28 en world Japan white paper 2022

Trends and the key to success in mid-career recruitment

Contract Professionals - HR
Looking Back on 2021

Outlook for Recruitment Trends in 2022

In an increasing number of cases, we do not conduct
workplace tours of temporary placement sites. There-

Openings nearly at pre-COVID levels,with demand continuing for specialized
talentAn overall seller’s market, withshortages in digital marketingand e-commerce personnel

From the perspective of COVID’s impact, demand

Recruitment is currently a seller’s market in many indus-

and its brand image can often make the differencechanges for human resources were notable. While thetries, except for the food and beverage and leisure in-between hiring success and failure. In particular, many

number of temporary/contract positions available industries, which COVID has significantly impacted. Labor

workers are interested in whether a company offers

2020 was significantly lower than before the pandemic,

shortages are likely to continue into 2022, especially inflexibility in its hybrid remote/office work environment.

by approximately 20%, it recovered to near pre-COVID

digital marketing, e-commerce, and similar industries.

Thus the companies that should attract more talentlevels in 2021. There was a notable decline in assistant/

Therefore, we expect temporary staffing agencies toin the future are proactive in developing intake sys-

clerical positions recruitment, with demand remaining

increasingly dispatch educated workers even if theytems, including flexibility in work locations and times

stagnant. Meanwhile, demand for high-skilled personnel

lack experience. At the same time, many companies areand securing necessary equipment. It has also becomewith expertise in human resources, marketing, supply

increasing their budgets to overcome their recruitment

more challenging to build relationships with workers

chains, and healthcare-related fields remained con-challenges, making it highly likely that temporary work-

after they start working than before COVID. Therefore,

stant. The characteristics of each job category tended

er hourly wages will increase moderately. Besides theirwhether leadership and organizations are devising ways

to be distinct, with HR particularly needing experiencedsalary requirements and career direction, temp workers

to increase engagement with employees through daily

recruiters and those with payroll and social insurance

tend to look for organizations with good communication

communication and training is crucial in achieving stable

experience. At the same time, marketing recruited moreand companies that promote remote work. This trend

employment for temporary employees.

for digital-oriented positions related to DX. In this con-should continue.

fore, a challenge is effectively promoting open positions
and recruiting companies. Information that more effectively conveys the attractiveness of a client company

text, the high demand for part-time positions and parental leave replacements was also impressive. On thetemporary staffing side, there was a clear differencein thinking between those seeking more flexibility andthose seeking stability.

Characteristics and Elements of Successful
Corporate Recruitment

Essentials lie in personnel intake
systems alongside flexibility in work
locations and times
From the standpoint of infection prevention, we currently prefer to give temporary employees online interviews.

29 en world Japan white paper 2022

Kango Nakatake
Contract Professionals
Associate Director

Trends and the key to success in mid-career recruitment

Contract Professionals - IT
Looking Back on 2021

Outlook for Recruitment Trends in 2022

Characteristics and Elements of Successful
Corporate Recruitment

IT staffing shortages are becoming more
severe, impacting corporate growth andinnovation

Increased investment in DX andcybersecurity

The year 2021 was another challenging year for many

mand flexible work arrangements. That does not mean

companies. After an initial slowdown in hiring in summer

100% remote work but rather the ability to choose when

2020, we have seen an increase in the hiring of IT pro-and how often they work at the office.

1. A compelling vision and mission that makes professionals

fessionals in general. With so much uncertainty and vol-With a shift to consumption taking place online, we will

want to join thematility in the market, many companies took the prudent

see companies further investing in e-commerce and

2. A great experience throughout the interview process,approach of hiring IT professionals via flexible resourc-

other platforms that allow them to provide a great digital

starting with proper employer branding, meaningful job de-ing solutions.

experience to their customers.

scriptions, and well-structured and engaging interviews

While we are witnessing an increased demand in hiring,

There are two more areas in which we anticipate further

3. Competitive compensation, but more important, flexible

we are also seeing a serious shortage of IT profession-

growth and investment: first, digital transformation (DX),

work arrangements and nonfinancial benefits

als in the market. IT has always been an area that heav-

where companies are looking to redesign their process-ily relied on professionals from overseas and, with bor-

es to enable remote work, and second, cyber security.

In a rapidly changing world with serious candidate

ders closed for almost two years now, that has seriously

We have seen a rapid increase in cyberattacks since

impacted companies' growth and innovation.

the beginning of the pandemic, and companies are now

On the candidate side, we have seen a shift in prefer-trying to make up for the lack of cyber security invest-

ence when it comes to working arrangements. Working

ments.

remotely allows for better focus and uninterrupted work,
especially for software engineers, and many candidates
expect to be able to work remotely, at least to a certain
degree. Yet some companies have brought their teams
back together at the office, and many professionals
have realized that there is a lot of value in working to-

We expect that many professionals will continue to de-

Employers also need to consider
candidates with future potential
Here are some of the key characteristics of companies
that are successful at hiring:

shortages, we also recommend that companies look beyond the experience of professionals and consider theirpotential. Candidates might meet only seven out of 10
requirements, but with the right training and development, they can be a real asset.
Also, even if a professional ticks all the boxes right now,
it is very likely that the role will evolve in the next three
to five years. Does the candidate have the right attitude andmind-set to develop and grow?

gether in the same office.

Fabian Hoshino
Contract Professionals
Associate Director

30 en world Japan white paper 2022

Salary Tables

Employee Wages by Industry

Banking and Financial Services
Title
Asset Management

Corporate Planning

Front Office

Operation

Sales Support

Seniority

Unit: JPY 10K

Min Salary

Max Salary

Construction Management

Electrical Engineer

Field Service Engineer /Field Application Engineer

Sales

Business Consultant

Seniority

Min Salary

Max Salary

1,400
1,000

2,200

Director

2,000

3,000

1,300

1,800

Manager

Specialist

600

1,200

Senior Consultant

600

1,100

Consultant

650

800

Staff level

500

750

Director

1,400

2,400

Senior Manager

1,200

2,000

Manager

1,000

1,500
1,100

Director

2,000

3,000

Manager

1,300

1,800

Specialist

600

1,200

Staff level

700

850

DX / IT Consultant

Director

1,500

Director

2,500

3,500

Senior Consultant

800

Manager

1,800

2,500

Consultant

500

800

Specialist

1,500

1,800

Analyst450

600

Director

1,700

2,000

Director

1,300

2,000

Manager

1,200

1,500

Manager

900

1,300

Specialist

900

1,100

Senior Consultant

650

1,000

Staff level

700

900

Consultant

500

650

Partner / Associate Partner

2,000

2,400

Director

1,200

2,000

Manager
Senior Consultant

1,000

1,500

800

1,100

Consultant

500

800

Staff level

450

600

Director

1,300

2,000

Manager

900

1,300

Specialist

650

1,000

Staff level

500

650

Director

1,300

2,000

Manager

Director

900

1,100

Manager

700

900

600

Construction, Infrastructure
Construction Engineer

Title

Unit: JPY 10K

Manager

Staff level

Title

Consulting

Seniority

HR Consultant

Management Consultant

700

Unit: JPY 10K

Min Salary

Max SalaryManager

1,000

1,300

Specialist

850

1,000

Marketing Consultant

SCM Consultant

900

1,300

Manager

1,000

1,500

Specialist

650

1,000

Specialist

850

1,000

Staff level

500

650

Director

1,200

2,000

Strategy Consultant

Partner

3,000

30,000Manager

1,000

1,500

*Seniority varies by company

Manager

1,600

2,200

Specialist

650

1,100

Senior Associate

1,000

1,500

Associate

650

1,000

Business Analyst

500

900

Manager

1,000

1,300

Specialist

750

1,000

Staff level

500

750

Manager

1,000

1,100

Specialist

700

1,000

32 en world Japan white paper 2022

Employee Wages by Industry

IT
Title
Back-end Engineer

Data Engineer / Data Scientist

Delivery (SIer)

Engineer (SAP)

Front-end Engineer

Internal IT

Machine Learning Engineer

Network Engineer

Project Management

Security Engineer

Unit: JPY 10K

Seniority

Software Engineer

Solution Architect

Max SalaryManager

1,000

1,500

Specialist

600

1,300

Director

1,500

2,000

Manager

1,000

1,500

Specialist

700

1,300

1,000

2,000

Project Manager

750

1,300

Project Leader

600

800

System Engineer

350

550

Manager

1,000

1,500

Specialist

800

1,200

Manager

900

1,300

Specialist

600

1,000

Director

1,500

2,500

Manager

1,000

1,500

Specialist

600

1,000

Staff level

400

600

Manager

1,000

1,800

Specialist

1,000

1,500

Director

1,500

2,000

Manager

800

1,200

Specialist

600

1,000

Staff level

400

600

Director

1,500

2,000

Manager

1,000

1,500

Specialist

600

1,200

Director

1,500

2,500

Manager

1,000

1,500

800

1,000

Staff level

600

800

Manager

1,000

1,800

Specialist

1,000

1,500

Director

1,000

2,000

Manager

700

1,200

Specialist

600

1,000

Director

1,500

2,000

Manager

1,200

1,500

Specialist

800

1,200

Senior Project Manager

Specialist

Service Desk

Min Salary

33 en world Japan white paper 2022

Manufacturing, Industrial
Title
Automotive Engineer

CAD Designer

Electrical Engineer

Field Service / Field Application Engineer

Seniority

Unit: JPY 10K

Min Salary

Max Salary

Director

1,500

2,000

Manager

1,200

1,500

Specialist

800

1,300

Staff level

600

800

Director

1,000

1,200

Manager

800

1,000

Specialist

600

800

Staff level

400

600

Manager

900

1,200

Specialist

650

750

Staff level

500

650

Director

1,300

1,500

Manager

1,000Specialist

750

1,300
1,000

Staff level

500

750

Manager

800

1,200

Specialist

700

900

Manager

800

1,300

Specialist

500

1,000

Process Engineer

Specialist

700

2,000

QA

Manager

1,000

1,300

Specialist

700

900

Director

1,200

2,000

Manager

800

Specialist

600

1,500
1,200

Staff level

400

750

Director

1,400

1,800

Manager

1,200

1,500

Specialist

800

1,000

Staff level

700

900

Director

1,500

2,000

Manager

1,300

1,600

Specialist

800

1,100

Staff level

700

900

Manager

1,100

1,500

Specialist

700

1,200

O&M (Operation and Maintanance)

Project Management

Sales

Semiconductor design Engineer

Semiconductor prosess Engineer

Software Engineer

Employee Wages by Industry

Medical Devices, Pharmaceutical, and Life Sciences
Title
Clinical Development

Clinical Specialist

Seniority

Min Salary

Max Salary

Director

1,500

2,500

Manager

900

1,500

Specialist

600

1,100

Director

1,200

1,500

900

1,200

Specialist

500

900

Director

1,500

2,000

Manager

900

1,500

Specialist

600

1,100

Director

1,500

2,000

Manager

900

1,500

Specialist

600

1,100

Manager

900

1,500

Specialist

600

1,100

Director

1,000

1,500

Manager

700

1,000

Specialist

400

700

Director
Manager

1,000

1,500

700

1,000

Specialist

400

900

Director

1,000

1,700

Manager

700

1,200

Specialist

500

900

Director

1,500

2,500

Manager

900

1,500

Specialist

600

1,100

Director

1,200

2,300

Manager

800

1,200

Specialist

500

800

Director
Manager

1,500

2,500

900

1,500

Specialist

600

1,100

Director

1,200

1,800

Manager

800

1,500

Specialist

400

1,000

Manager

900

1,500

Specialist

600

1,100

Director

1,400

1,800

Manager

900

1,500

Specialist

600

1,100

Manager

900

1,500

Specialist

600

1,100

Director

1,200

2,000

Manager

800

1,500

Specialist

400

1,000

Manager

CMC / Quality Assurance

CMC / Regulatory affairs

CRA

Electrical Engineer

Field Service / Field Application Engineer

GVP (Device)

GVP (Pharma)

Market Access

Medical Affairs

Medical Device Sales

Medical Information

Medical Science Liaison

Medical Writing

MR

Unit: JPY 10K

34 en world Japan white paper 2022

Medical Devices, Pharmaceutical, and Life Sciences
Title
Oversea Sales

Pharmacovigilance

Project Management

Process Engineer

Product Manager (Device)

Quality Assurance (Device)

Regulatory Affairs (Device)

Sales

Training

Seniority

Min Salary

Unit: JPY 10K

Max Salary

Director

1,200

1,800

Manager

800

1,200

Specialist

500

900

Director

1,500

2,500

Manager

900

1,500

Specialist

600

1,100

Director
Manager

1,400

1,800

900

1,500

Specialist

600

1,100

Manager

700

1,200

Specialist

400

700

Director
Manager

1,200
900

3,000

Specialist

700

1,000

Director

1,000

1,700

Manager

700

1,200

Specialist

400

900

Director

1,200

1,800

Manager

800

1,400

Specialist

500

800

Director
Manager

1,000

2,500

700

1,500

Specialist

500

1,200

Staff level

400

700

Director

1,200

1,800

Manager

800

1,200

Specialist

500

800

1,500

Employee Wages by Occupation

Finance and Accounting
Title
Accountant

Audit

Business Analyst

Seniority

Unit: JPY 10K

Min Salary

Max Salary

Title

Director

1,800

2,500

CAO

Manager

800

1,800

Specialist

500

1,000

Staff level

350

800

Director

1,200

1,600

2,500

CEO

C-level

2,500

6,000

CFO

C-level

1,800

4,500

CHO / CHRO

C-level

1,800

3,500

COO

C-level

2,200

4,500

1,000

Staff level

400

600

Director

1,200

C-level

1,800

3,500

800

2,000
1,200

CTO / CISOManager

Executive Director

C-level

1,600

3,000

600

Director

1,400
1,000

2,000

Manager
Corporate Planning /Director

1,200

Business Development

Manager

800

2,000
1,200

Specialist

600

1,000

Staff level

400

600

Director
Manager

1,000
900

2,500
1,800

Specialist
Staff level

500

1,200

400

500

Director
Manager

1,200
800

2,000
1,200

Specialist

600

1,000

Staff level

400

600

Director

1,500

2,000

Manager

1,200

1,500

Specialist

800

1,200

Staff level

500

800

Director

1,500

2,000

Manager

1,000

1,500

Treasury / Credit / Risk

C-level

800

1,000

Tax Accountant

Max Salary

600

600

Product Control

Min SalarySpecialist

400

Project Management

Seniority

Manager

Specialist

FP&A

Unit: JPY 10K

2,000
1,200

Staff level
Controller

C-level

1,400

Human Resources
Title

Unit: JPY 10K

Seniority

Min Salary

Max Salary

Administrator

Specialist

500

700

Executive AssistantSpecialist

500

900

HRBP

Manager

1,000Specialist

600

1,600
1,200

Director

1,400

Manager

800

2,500
1,400

Specialist

600

1,000

Staff level

400

600

Manager

600

Specialist

400

800
600

Manager

900

Specialist

450

Director

1,200

HRGA

HRIS Manager

L&D

TA / Recruiter

Manager

1,500
900

800

2,000
1,400
1,000

Specialist

800

1,200

Specialist

600

Staff level

600

800

Staff level

350

600

Director

1,200

2,000

Specialist

350

600

Manager

800

1,200

Specialist

600

1,000

Staff level

400

600

Min Salary

Max SalaryExpert

800

2,500
2,500

Translation / Interpretation

Legal and Compliance
Title
Inhouse Counsel
Legal & Compliance

35 en world Japan white paper 2022

Seniority

Unit: JPY 10K

Director

1,500

Manager

800

1,500

Specialist

500

1,200

Paralegal

Expert400

600

PatentDirector

1,200Manager

800

2,000
1,200

Specialist

500

800

Employee Wages by Occupation

Marketing
Title
Brand Marketing

Creative

CRM

Customer success

Digital Marketing

E-Commerce

Event Planning

Marketing

PR&Communications

Product Marketing

Trade Marketing

UI / UX Designer

Unit: JPY 10K

Seniority

Min Salary

Max Salary

Director

1,000Manager

700

1,800
1,200

Specialist

600

1,000

Staff level

500

600

Director

1,000Manager

700

1,500
1,000

Specialist

600

900

Staff level

500

600

Sales
Title
Account Executive

Business Development

Customer Service

Unit: JPY 10K

Seniority

Min Salary

Max Salary

Director

2,000Manager

1,500

2,500

Specialist

1,000

2,000

Staff level

700

1,500

Director

2,000Manager

1,500

2,500

Specialist

1,000

2,000

Staff level

700

1,500

Director

1,500

2,000

Manager

1,200

1,500

3,000

3,000

Director

1,200Manager

700

1,800
1,200

Specialist

600

1,000

Specialist

700

1,000

Staff level

500

700

Staff level

700

700

Manager

1,000

1,300

Specialist

700

900

Staff level

500

700

Manager

800

1,200

Specialist

500

800

Staff level

400

650

Director

1,000

2,500

Director

1,000Manager

700

1,500
1,000

Specialist

600

900

Staff level

500

600

Director

1,100Manager

700

2,200
1,200

Specialist

600

1,000

Staff level

500

700

Director

1,200Manager

700

2,200
1,400

Specialist

600

1,000

Staff level

500

700

Director

1,000Manager

700

1,500
1,000

Specialist

600

900

Staff level

500

600

Director

1,500

Manager

1,000

2,200
1,600

Specialist

700

1,100

Staff level

600

800

Director

1,300

Manager

800

2,000
1,200

Specialist

700

1,000

Staff level

500

600

Director

1,500

Manager

1,200

2,000
1,500

Specialist

700

1,000

Staff level

700

700

Director

1,000Manager

700

1,500
1,000

Specialist

600

800

Staff level

500

600

Director

1,000Manager

700

1,200
900

Specialist

500

700

Staff level

500

600

36 en world Japan white paper 2022

Inside Sales

Overseas Sales

Sales

Sales Support

Manager

700

1,500

Specialist

500

1,200

Staff level

400

700

Specialist

500

600

Staff level

400

500

Employee Wages by Occupation

Supply Chain Management
Title
Customer Service

Demand / Supply Planning

Factory / Plant Management

Logistics

Operation

Procurement

Quality Control

SCM

Seniority

Unit: JPY 10K

Min Salary

Max Salary

Director

1,300

1,500

Manager

1,000

1,200

Specialist

600

700

Staff level

500

600

Director

1,300

2,000

Manager

1,100

1,300

Specialist

700

900

Staff level

500

700

Director

1,300

2,000

Manager

1,000

1,200

Specialist

600

700

Staff level

500

600

Director

1,400

2,000

Manager

800

1,400

Specialist

400

800

Director

1,300

2,000

Manager

1,100

1,300

Specialist

700

900

Staff level

500

700
2,500

Director

1,800

Manager

1,200

1,600

Specialist

700

1,000

Director

1,300

2,000

Manager

900

1,300

Specialist

600

800

Staff level

500

700

Director

1,300

2,000

Manager

1,100

1,300

Specialist

700

900

Staff level

500

700

37 en world Japan white paper 2022

About en world Japan

Our services ..................................................................... 39
Industry Coverage / Functional Specializations ........ 40
Corporate Summary ...................................................... 41

Our services
Founded in 1999, en world Japan is a recruitment partner in the global talent market and operates in three countries in the Asia Pacific region.
We support globally-renowned international and Japanese companies to hire professionals in middle to senior level positions.
We specialize in talent acquisition of clients and career transition of job seekers through offering a wide range of HR solutions such as our perm recruitment, contract professionals, executive search, and Recruitment Process Outsourcing(RPO) services.

Recruitment Process Outsourcing(RPO)

enPower

Permanent Recruitment

Contract Professionals

Recruiting mid- to high-level

Professional staffing for roles

Recruiting organization leaders from

Outsourcing & consulting services

international players

requiring expertisearound the globe

optimizing recruitment

39 en world Japan white paper 2022

Executive SearchIndustry Coverage / Functional Specializations
en world consultants are thoroughly versed in an expansive array of industries and professional disciplines. They offer one-stop support, from the initial hiring process all the way
through to post-placement support. When you choose en world, you’re not getting one lone consultant. You’ve got the power of an entire team. We continually coordinate information about openings and potential hires, operating such that all our clients, both employers and job-seekers, have the best pool available to find that perfect match.

Function

Industry
Financial Services(Securities, Banking,Insurance, Asset

Consulting

Sales & Marketing

Engineering

Management,

Research &Development

Real Estate)

Corporate

Consumer Goods(FMCG, Fashion &IT / Technology

Accounting &Luxury, Hospitality,(Hardware, Software)

Finance

Human Resources(General Affairs,
Administration,
Personal Assistants)

Advertising)life Science

Manufacturing /(Medical Devices,

Industrial(Chemical,

Pharmaceuticals,

Automotive,

Animal Health,

Machinery, Precision

Agricultural Sciences)

Instruments)

40 en world Japan white paper 2022

Services

Supply Chain
Legal & ComplianceManagement /Procurement

Information
Technology

Corporate Summary

Company Nameen world Japan K.K.

Established1999

President

Vijay Deol

Websitehttps://www.enworld.com/enTokyo Office(Headquarters)

12F Tokyo Square Garden 3-1-1
Kyobashi, Chuo-ku Tokyo
104-0031
03-4578-3500

Nagoya Office

7F Ichigo Marunouchi Building, 3-17-13
Marunouchi, Naka-ku, Nagoya Aichi
460-0002
03-4578-3500

Osaka Office

9F Umeda Center Building, 2-4-12
Nakazuki Nishi, Kita-ku, Osaka-shi Osaka
530-0015
03-4578-3500

41 en world Japan white paper 2022