The Rise of Year-Round Recruitment — Convergence of Job-Hunting Disparities Between Overseas and Japan-Based Students

Job hunting in Japan is no longer a seasonal ritual that begins in spring and peaks in early summer. While the government has maintained the official timeline of March 1 for information release, June 1 for selection, and October 1 for formal offers, it has also clarified that outcomes from certain Type 3 internships can serve as a basis for companies to transition into the selection process before June 1*2. In other words, the official rules remain, but the practical operation has shifted to year-round through internship-linked pipelines.

This shift is rooted in labor market supply-demand dynamics and the diversification of academic calendars. Hiring appetite remains strong: the job-offers-to-applicants ratio for 2026 graduates stands at 1.66 (slightly down from 1.75 the previous year) *11*12. In particular, small firms with fewer than 300 employees face a ratio of 8.98, highlighting stark differences by company size*1*4. Against this backdrop, symbolic moves such as Hitachi’s “365-day entry” system and Fujitsu’s abolition of traditional batch hiring in favor of year-round recruitment mark a broader shift from seasonal to continuous hiring *6* 9 *10.

In this article, we will review the system framework, adoption trends, and market data of year-round recruitment, and then discuss future job-hunting trends for overseas university students.

The System Landscape — Official Rules with Internship Flexibility

The government’s framework remains explicit: information release on March 1 (for third-year undergraduates), interviews starting June 1 (fourth-year students), and formal offers beginning October 1*2. However, within the four internship categories defined by the industry-academia council, students assessed through Type 3 (general/specialized internships) and Type 4 (advanced specialized internships) can have their performance used as grounds for moving into the hiring process even before June 1*2 *3. The message is clear: the official schedule is upheld, but practice is made more flexible through internship pathways.

Both Type 3 and Type 4 internships come with detailed requirements—work-experience components, duration, disclosure rules, and evaluation criteria. They are positioned as the only officially sanctioned pathways through which internship data may be used in recruitment*3*5*7*10. Consequently, the internship-to-selection bridge has become a major driver of year-round hiring.

• Key points of the systems:

  • Information release: March 1 of the graduation year

  • Interviews: June 1 of the graduation year

  • Formal offers: October 1 of the graduation year

  • For Type 3 and Type 4 internships, performance data can justify pre-June transitions to the selection stage *2

Adoption and Flagship Cases — The Rise of “Seasonal + Year-Round Recruitment” Dual Tracks

A 2021 Keidanren survey found that 33% of companies already practiced year-round hiring for new graduates, with projections rising to 55% within five years. By contrast, reliance on batch hiring was expected to fall from 91% to 79%, signaling coexistence rather than replacement*4. On the ground, many companies now maintain traditional seasonal recruitment as the main track while introducing year-round hiring for role-specific or backfill needs.

Flagship examples highlight this shift. Hitachi introduced “365-day entry” in 2020, allowing graduates to join at any time within one year of graduation*6. Fujitsu announced that starting in 2026, it will abolish batch hiring altogether, moving toward year-round, job-based hiring without quotas or distinctions between new graduates and mid-career hires*9*10. Such moves by major corporations are reshaping the norms and accelerating adoption across industries.

Labor Market Realities — Unpacking the “Seller’s Market”

The current job-offers ratio of 1.66 represents only a modest decline from the post-COVID rebound, keeping overall hiring demand strong*11*12. Yet differences by company size are stark: SMEs under 300 employees face a ratio of 8.98, while firms with over 5,000 employees remain comparatively stable*12. This divergence explains why students’ experiences differ so widely depending on target sectors: SMEs have strong incentives to keep recruiting year-round, while large firms balance seasonal core hiring with year-round supplements.

Government data also confirms the trend toward earlier and longer recruitment cycles: participation in company briefings now peaks as early as September of the previous year*8*9. Despite system milestones remaining in place, offer activity continues to cluster in spring to early summer. For students, this means that the most rational approach is to prepare intensively for early-spring recruitment while keeping fall and winter year-round/backfill opportunities in play.

International Students’ Perspective — Declining Structural Disadvantages

Government directives explicitly call for consideration of diverse academic calendars and the provision of multiple recruitment windows, creating system tailwinds*1*2. System innovations such as Hitachi’s year-round entry system and Fujitsu’s abolition of batch hiring reduce the long-standing disadvantage for non-March graduates, making Japan’s job-hunting system more accessible to overseas university students*6*9*10.

That said, the three system milestones remain deeply embedded in Japan’s hiring rhythm. International students must therefore operate with a dual-calendar mindset: securing early contact points (online sessions, short-term internships) aligned with Japan’s spring cycle, while running parallel applications to year-round positions.

Practical Tips for International Students:

• Prepare bilingual summaries (Japanese/English) of research or work outcomes between the end of your home semester and Japan’s March 1 release.

• Refine your self-analysis and motivations for specific firms well in advance.

• Check directly whether companies offer Type 3/4 internship tracks and year-round entry systems through IR documents and recruitment websites.

Conclusion

Year-round hiring system expands freedom for students, but also requires stronger self-discipline and planning. The seasonal framework remains intact, yet behind it lies a growing reliance on internship-linked, year-round, and role-specific recruitment. For international students, this reduces the friction that once made navigating Japan’s hiring calendar so difficult, allowing them to bring their overseas-acquired knowledge and experience to full use.

Beyond year-round systems, further evolution is expected: the expansion of job-based hiring for new graduates, performance-based evaluations, and the decline of strict seniority. At the same time, Japan’s cultural strength—a tradition of valuing people—is likely to persist.

At a time when the spirit of “valuing people” seems to be fading globally under the rise of generative AI, choosing to start a career in Japan may well be the key to building not only a stable career but also a richer life.

(Editor: Jelper Club Editorial Team)

Resources・Notes

1. 「2025（令和7）年度卒業・修了予定者等の就職・採用活動に関する要請事項」（内閣官房）：cas.go.jp

2. 「大学等卒業・修了予定者の就職・採用活動時期について」（厚生労働省）：https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/seisakunitsuite/bunya/0000184189_00002.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com ; 「令和５年度から大学生等のインターンシップの取扱いが変わります」（厚生労働省）：https://jsite.mhlw.go.jp/hyogo-roudoukyoku/content/contents/001260876.pdf

3. 「産学で変えるこれからのインターンシップ（4類型リーフレット）」（経団連）：https://www.keidanren.or.jp/policy/2022/039_leaflet.pdf

4. 「採用と大学改革への期待に関するアンケート結果」（経団連）：https://www.keidanren.or.jp/policy/2022/004_kekka.pdf

5. 「よくあるご質問（FAQ）—タイプ3の定義・要件」（経団連 産学協議会）：https://www.keidanren.or.jp/policy/2022/039_faq.pdf

6. 「通年入社（365日入社）制度の導入」（日立製作所）：hitachi.co.jp

7. 「インターンシップを始めとする学生のキャリア形成支援に係る取組（3省合意・要件）」（経済産業省）：meti.go.jp

8. 「2026年度卒業・修了予定者の就職・採用活動日程に関する考え方（実態調査含む）」（厚生労働省）：https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/11800000/001348775.pdf

9. 「就職・採用活動に関する要請（総合ページ）」（内閣官房）：cas.go.jp

10. 「何が変わるの？これからのインターンシップ（学生向けリーフレット）」（経団連）：https://www.keidanren.or.jp/policy/2022/039_leaflet2.pdf

11. 「大卒求人倍率調査（2026年卒）— 概要ページ」（リクルートワークス研究所）：https://www.works-i.com/surveys/report/250424_recruitment_saiyo_ratio.html

12. 「第42回 ワークス大卒求人倍率調査（2026年卒）— プレスリリース／PDF」（リクルートワークス研究所・Indeed Recruit Partners）：https://www.works-i.com/surveys/item/250424_recruitment_saiyo_ratio.pdf

13. 「富士通、新卒一括採用を廃止 職務・専門に応じ通年募集」（日本経済新聞）：https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZQOUC07B870X00C25A3000000/