Japan's technical college graduates draw job-opening ratio above 35 as banks join hiring
In short
The job-opening-to-applicant ratio for graduates of Japan's technical colleges, known as “kosen”, is above 35, against 1.66 for university graduates, according to figures cited by TBS NEWS DIG and in an MBS TV report carried by Livedoor News. Banks and securities firms have started hiring kosen graduates, with companies pointing to demand for IT and AI staff and to a job-changing era in which they want staff who can work immediately. The schools themselves face difficulty securing students because of the falling birthrate and low name recognition, and pay for kosen graduates is often lower than for university graduates.
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Companies in Japan are competing harder for graduates of the country's technical colleges, known as “kosen”, with the job-opening-to-applicant ratio for those graduates above 35. TBS NEWS DIG's headline said the ratio exceeded 35 times, while an explainer carried by Livedoor News, based on an MBS TV segment, cited 35.3, against 1.66 for university graduates. The same report said the ratio was 24.7 five years earlier, indicating that corporate demand for kosen graduates has been rising. [ 1 , 2 ]
The MBS TV report gave company examples. Tokyo Suido, a third-sector water utility in Tokyo, advertises on utility poles near kosen campuses and about 20% of its new hires come from the schools, it said. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank began hiring kosen graduates from its April 2024 intake, and SMBC Nikko Securities began recruiting them for general-track new graduate positions from fiscal 2025, according to the report. [ 2 ]
University journalist Reiji Ishiwata told the programme that demand for science and engineering staff is growing in fields such as IT, DX and AI, and that in an era of more frequent job changes companies value kosen graduates as “immediately employable”. TBS NEWS DIG and Yahoo! News Japan likewise framed the trend around an IT talent shortage and a job-changing era. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Kosen take students after junior high school for five years of mainly science and engineering study, plus a two-year advanced course; there are 58 schools nationwide and six in the Kansai region, the report said. It described Osaka Public University Kosen as having about 800 students and said more than 5% repeated a year or dropped out, with 46 repeats and 21 withdrawals last year. The report cited a deviation score of 64 for the school from a tutoring company's website. [ 2 ]
The schools also face difficulty securing students. The report and TBS NEWS DIG cited the falling birthrate and low name recognition, and the report said some kosen have held second rounds of recruitment after failing to fill quotas. Pay for kosen graduates is often lower than for university graduates, and about one third of graduates transfer to universities, it added. [ 1 , 2 ]
The education ministry has held a review group on strengthening kosen functions. Materials published in August said Japan is projected to face an overwhelming shortage of science, engineering and digital talent by 2040, that the creation of new public and private kosen should be promoted, and that conferring degrees on graduates should be considered, according to the report. Kosen graduates currently receive the title of associate, which the report described as difficult to use internationally. [ 2 ]
Why it matters
The recruitment figures point to employers competing for engineering and digital skills faster than the universities supply them, drawing banks and brokerages into a hiring channel previously used mainly by manufacturers. At the same time, the documents describe schools that struggle to fill places, with lower pay and transfers to universities left unresolved, which could limit how much the supply of graduates grows. The education ministry's review of kosen functions, including the possible conferral of degrees, could alter the standing of the qualification if it proceeds.
Key facts
- The job-opening-to-applicant ratio for kosen graduates is above 35; TBS NEWS DIG's headline said it exceeded 35 times, and the MBS TV report cited 35.3, against 1.66 for university graduates. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The same report said the ratio was 24.7 five years earlier. [ 2 ]
- Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank began hiring kosen graduates from its April 2024 intake and SMBC Nikko Securities from its fiscal 2025 general-track new graduate intake, according to the MBS TV report. [ 2 ]
- Tokyo Suido, a third-sector water utility in Tokyo, advertises on utility poles near kosen campuses and about 20% of its new hires are kosen graduates, the report said. [ 2 ]
- Japan has 58 kosen, six of them in the Kansai region; students enter after junior high school and study mainly science and engineering for five years, plus two years in an advanced course. [ 2 ]
- Osaka Public University Kosen has about 800 students, and more than 5% repeated a year or dropped out, with 46 repeats and 21 withdrawals last year, the report said. [ 2 ]
- The education ministry's review group said in August materials that Japan is projected to face an overwhelming shortage of science, engineering and digital talent by 2040, that new public and private kosen should be promoted, and that conferring degrees on graduates should be considered. [ 2 ]
- Schools face difficulty securing students because of the falling birthrate and low name recognition, some kosen have held second rounds of recruitment after missing quotas, and kosen pay is often lower than for university graduates. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Nothing is confirmed by two independent outlets yet.
Still unclear
- Whether the education ministry will confer degrees on kosen graduates. Only one document reports the ministry review, and it describes degree conferral as something to be considered, with no decision reported.
- How the pay gap between kosen graduates and university graduates will be addressed. The MBS TV report lists this as a future task and gives no plan or figures.
- Which kosen schools fell short of their quotas and held second rounds of recruitment. The report says some did so without naming them.
- Whether the rise in demand extends across employers generally or is limited to the examples given. The company examples come from a single outlet, and no broader employer survey is cited.
- The academic standing of Osaka Public University Kosen. The deviation score of 64 is cited from a tutoring company's website in one report and is not independently corroborated.
- Companies are showing increased interest in hiring kosen graduates as immediately employable staff. Reported by a single source so far
- The job-opening ratio for kosen graduates exceeds 35. Reported by a single source so far
- Kosen schools face difficulty securing students because of the falling birthrate and low name recognition. Reported by a single source so far
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- TBS NEWS DIG publishes its report (2 October) on companies' attention to kosen graduates. [ 1 ]
- Livedoor News publishes its explainer (4 October), based on MBS TV's “Yonchan TV” segment broadcast on 1 October. [ 2 ]
- Yahoo! News Japan publishes its summary of the story and related links (4 October). [ 3 ]