[Recruitment Trend] New Graduate Hiring Costs: SMEs Pay 1.4x More Than Large Corporations. Report on 2025 Trends Across 7 Industries Released.

circus Inc. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Takashi Yabe), operator of the recruitment platform 'circusAGENT,' has released a 'New Graduate Recruitment Trend Report' based on selection data from the 2025 fiscal year.

Report Overview Target Data: Selection data for new graduate job openings that resulted in accepted offers on the 'circusAGENT' platform. Period: April 1, 2025 – March 31, 2026 Sample Size: 665

Average by Company Size Analysis of the 2025 data shows that SMEs with fewer than 100 employees pay an average referral fee of 761,000 yen (21.1% rate), which is approximately 1.4 times the cost of 538,000 yen (17.5% rate) paid by large corporations with over 1,000 employees. Regarding expected annual salary, SMEs offer an average of 3.611 million yen, compared to 3.08 million yen for large corporations, indicating that SMEs are offering more competitive conditions.

Challenges in a Seller's Market The structural shift in new graduate recruitment has led to an increase in companies using recruitment agencies. According to Recruit's 'Employment White Paper,' 20% of companies plan to use recruitment agencies for 2027 graduates, a twofold increase over the last decade. This is driven by the increased workload on HR staff and the pursuit of candidate quality. Surveys by Persol Research and Consulting and DISCO (CareerTas) show that nearly half of companies report increased recruitment workloads, and over 70% prioritize candidate quality over quantity. Recruitment agencies are becoming essential for reducing workload while ensuring quality.

Industry-Specific Averages In the HR industry, 'recruitment agencies' show high costs, with an average salary of 3.54 million yen and a 25.7% fee rate. In the IT/Consulting sector, 'IT/Web Services' offered the highest average salary at 3.799 million yen. In the Advertising/PR sector, 'Advertising Agencies' showed high referral fees (960,000 yen) despite lower-than-average salaries. The Real Estate sector, particularly 'Construction/Infrastructure,' showed high hiring intent with salary levels 500,000 yen above the average. In the Trading/Manufacturing sector, 'Trading Companies' significantly boosted the average salary to 3.67 million yen. In the Infrastructure/Logistics/Distribution sector, 'Energy/Infrastructure' exceeded the average in all categories. In the Service sector, 'Restaurants' set higher referral fees of 858,000 yen despite average salary levels.

Conclusion The survey highlights that recruitment standards vary by company size and industry. As the seller's market intensifies, it is crucial for companies to minimize recruitment man-hours and focus on deep dialogue with students. circus Inc. will continue to provide transparent market data through 'circusAGENT' to foster an optimal matching environment for all parties.