Focus on 'Ease of Receiving Offers' Doubles: Students Increasingly Choose 'Companies Where They Can Get In' Amid Hiring Cuts

As major companies continue to revise their new graduate hiring numbers, it has become clear that while 'employment and management stability' remains the top priority for students (approx. 59%) both before and after the anticipated hiring cuts, the number of students prioritizing the 'ease of receiving an offer' has doubled.

In the 'Student Awareness Survey on New Graduate Hiring Reductions' conducted by Strobolights (Machida, Tokyo; CEO: Keiichiro Hada) among 166 university and graduate students graduating in 2028 and 2029, the reality of a shift toward 'realistic job hunting'—prioritizing the 'possibility of being accepted' over personal preference—has emerged. This indicates that changes in the recruitment environment are influencing student decision-making even before the official job-hunting season begins.

The most striking change in this survey is the fact that the percentage of students prioritizing 'ease of receiving an offer' doubled from 15.7% to 32.5% when assuming a reduction in hiring. While 'employment and management stability' remained the top factor for choosing a company, the shift toward prioritizing 'ease of receiving an offer' was the most significant change. Additionally, the importance of 'growth opportunities and skill acquisition' declined, quantitatively demonstrating the possibility that students are shifting toward pragmatic company selection.

Furthermore, 16.9% of respondents stated that they 'would have prioritized their preference for a company if hiring had not been reduced.' While changes in hiring numbers are management decisions by companies, they have a serious impact on students' career development and must be addressed as a structural issue within the entire recruitment market.