Consumption from inbound customers boosts employment High value placed on ability to analyze and utilize data.
This was a year in which the need for recruitment increased, especially in fashion and cosmetic retail businesses and the travel industry (particularly OTAs (online travel agencies)), in response to the consumption trends of inbound customers industry-wide. Demand was diverse: from bilingual sales people in stores to product managers within the marketing domain, and digital marketing.
As a new trend in 2019, recruitment for startup companies under the umbrella of major group companies led to excitement for a time; however, the outlook for business risk and working conditions led to some concern. Even in the case of sales positions (for which it is relatively difficult to find skilled English speakers) and for positions that require more networking skills, there is a tendency to require skillsets which can utilize the big data collected within a company; analytical ability and data-driven planning ability have become an evaluation criteria in interviews.
The demand for bilingual human resources has further increased, with a view to expanding overseas. The ability to proactively learn English and digital skills is required.
As we enter 2020, and the traditional marketing sector in Japan becomes more and more saturated, we believe that Japanese companies will focus on securing bilingual talent with the objective of international expansion. Furthermore, whether a company is Japanese or a foreign capital firm, the establishment and reinforcement of digital sales channels at manufacturers is accelerating, in alignment with the rise in the e-commercialization rate of B2C businesses within Japan (6.22% in 2018, approximately twice that of 7 years prior *1). We expect the number of recruitment projects to also increase further, for roles such as in-house e-commerce start-up managers, mall managers (Amazon, Rakuten, etc.) and cross-border e-commerce managers.
In terms of new business for the coming year, there is considerable focus on recruitment trends for eSports (electronic sports), casinos and IR (integrated resorts). We believe that in these sectors, in addition to recruitment of onsite talent for operational-side, there will also be increased hiring for marketing in terms of incentivizing inbound customers, digital platform adoption, and branding. As usual, there is an ever-increasing demand for candidates who possess English-language and digital skills. Candidates need to take action to prepare themselves for career changes, by gaining skill sets they would not normally acquire within the course of their ordinary work - both by raising their hand within their current company and proactively getting involved in company-internal projects, as well as attending external seminars on digital upskilling, etc.
*1 "Market Survey on Electronic Commerce" (2019), Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry
Team Manager
Toshiyuki Takahashi
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Reflections on recruiting global talent for 2019 and prospects for 2020_en world Japan_20191205
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