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New college graduates in Japan and China are facing starkly different job markets. While one group is having to work low-paying jobs just to get by, the other is being wooed by companies desperate for skilled talent.
In Japan, employers are scrambling to scoop up new workers graduating in March, over 40% of whom will leave college with at least one job offer, according to Fortune. Even though people living in Japan have struggled with rising inflation and housing in recent years, talent is in high demand. As a result, employers have not only been offering competitive salaries, but bigger benefits, from subsidized housing including meals to student loan assistance and a four-day workweek.
At the same time, Gen Z workers with master’s degrees in China are struggling to find work, the BBC reported. In November 2024, the youth unemployment rate was 16.1%, down from 18% in August (though percentages were higher before criteria changed to cast better-looking results). Gen Zers went to college to pursue advanced job opportunities, but there aren’t enough to go around, especially after layoffs at several tech companies last year.
As a potential workaround for both problems, some companies in Japan are trying to keep or attract more foreign workers, according to Japanese news site Kyodo News. For example, Osaka Ohsha, a dumpling company, helps employees go through the visa process for permanent residency, and some companies offer language training. Japan also regularly recruits white-collar workers from China, Vietnam, Nepal, and South Korea, and in 2024 announced new legislation aimed at attracting and retaining more foreign workers.