Hello. My name is Alicia Smith, and I am the Customer Success Coordinator at HORENSO. About a month ago, I attended a U.S. regional summit organized by Japan-U.S. organizations, and I would like to share with you some insights from the discussions held there.

Main Theme of the Summit

The discussion focused on how to encourage younger generations in the United States to start their careers at Japanese companies. However, many American job seekers perceive Japanese companies as having the following challenges, which can make it difficult for these companies to communicate their appeal in terms of recruitment and retention.

Main Concerns About Japanese Companies Among Young Americans

  • Lower salaries compared to equivalent positions at American companies
  • Long working hours
  • A workplace atmosphere that may feel less energetic or engaging
  • A lack of openness to new approaches and change
  • Differences in treatment and experiences between local employees and expatriates (employees from overseas)
  • Managers spending too much time on tasks other than their primary responsibilities of management and team building
  • Insufficient opportunities for learning and professional growth

The Resulting Challenges

These perceptions have led to situations such as:

  • Candidates declining job offers from Japanese companies
  • Employees leaving shortly after joining because the workplace is different from what they expected, resulting in high turnover rates

In addition, it was pointed out that young people in both Japan and the United States have become less interested in living abroad for work in recent years, making it more difficult to secure sufficient staffing at overseas locations.

The Importance of Creating an Attractive Workplace for Local Talent

For these reasons, it is more important than ever to intentionally create a welcoming workplace environment where local employees feel comfortable and can thrive.

Recommendations for Companies to Strengthen Recruitment and Employee Retention

  • Clearly highlight benefits and other attractive aspects of the company in job postings to help offset concerns about salary.
  • Ensure employees have dedicated time for training and managers have sufficient time to focus on management, improving the quality of employee development and management.
  • Establish internal mentoring programs and create systems for developing and promoting talent from within the company.
  • Shift toward a more equitable corporate culture in which expatriates and local employees collaborate and both groups are equally respected.
  • Review and reduce excessive bureaucracy so employees can devote more time to meaningful work they are passionate about.
  • Collaborate with university Japanese language and Japanese studies programs to create accessible pathways for graduates to apply for positions.
  • Most importantly, establish internship programs to:
    • Attract the interest of young talent
    • Prevent mismatches between expectations and reality before and after joining the company
    • Build a long-term recruitment pipeline

The discussions at this summit once again highlighted that, for Japanese companies operating overseas, recruitment alone is not enough. It is essential to establish systems that make local employees want to choose the company, develop their careers there, and continue working there over the long term.

We hope to continue exploring these topics together with you and putting these ideas into better practice.