Job総研 Conducts '2026 Career Awareness Survey': 70% Want Role Models, Prominent Among Men but 'Hard to Find'

Job総研, a research institute operated by Persol Career Co., Ltd., which provides the転職 service "doda," conducted the "2026 Career Awareness Survey" targeting 469 working men and women. This survey investigated the reality of concerns regarding careers and work, the presence and necessity of discussion partners and role models, and the background and challenges of finding them, broken down by gender and age.

[Career Anxiety Due to Diverse Working Styles] In recent years, with the decline of lifetime employment and seniority-based systems, job changes, side jobs, and diverse working styles have become commonplace, greatly expanding career options. On the other hand, the survey conducted by Job総研 revealed that 70% of respondents are anxious about their careers and find it difficult to envision their future selves (※1). Additionally, many people feel lonely at work (※2), highlighting a lack of discussion partners and psychological support as a challenge. Against this backdrop, the importance of role models for envisioning one's career future is increasing. However, in this era of diversification, it is also conceivable that finding people to emulate is becoming more difficult. In this situation, how do working individuals think about their careers and role models? Job総研 conducted the "2026 Career Awareness Survey" targeting 469 working men and women to investigate the reality of concerns regarding careers and work, the presence and necessity of discussion partners and role models, and the background and challenges of finding them, broken down by gender and age.

[Survey Overview] Target Audience: Current JobQ Town registrants who are employed Survey Conditions: Nationwide / Male & Female / Ages 20-50 Survey Period: June 10, 2026 - June 15, 2026 Valid Responses: 469 Survey Method: Internet Survey

[TOPICS] - 85.1% of all respondents have concerns about their careers or work; "Annual income/working style" are the top concerns they want to discuss. - 59.7% of all respondents "do not have a career discussion partner"; reasons include "difficult to speak frankly" and "no one to talk to seriously." - 73.5% of all respondents "want role models," and 79.6% find them "hard to find," with this being particularly prominent among those in their 20s and men. - 76.8% of all respondents "do not have role models"; the most common reason is "no one in a similar situation." - 70.1% of all respondents believe role models are necessary, citing reasons such as "easier to envision goals and direction" and "useful as a reference for actions and decisions."

[Presence of Career and Work Concerns] When asked if they currently have concerns about their careers or work, 85.1% of the total 469 respondents answered "yes." Of these, 27.7% have "4 or more concerns," 47.3% have "2-3 concerns," and 10.1% have "1 concern." Among the 339 respondents who reported having concerns, the most common issue they wanted to discuss was "annual income/earnings" at 26.3%, followed by "balance between working style and annual income" at 25.1%, and "skills/expertise" at 21.8%.

[Reasons for Not Having a Career Discussion Partner] When asked about the presence of a career discussion partner, 59.7% of the total 469 respondents answered "no." Of these, 42.6% "do not have one," and 17.1% are "looking but cannot find one." Among the 280 respondents who reported not having a discussion partner, the most common reason was "difficult to speak frankly" at 43.9%, followed by "no one to talk to seriously" at 31.1%, and "weak workplace relationships" at 17.5%.

[Desire for Role Models and Difficulty in Finding Them] When asked if they want role models, 73.5% of the total 469 respondents answered "yes." Of these, 20.5% "strongly want one," 22.9% "want one," and 30.1% "somewhat want one." Regarding the difficulty of finding role models, 79.6% of respondents found them "hard to find." Of these, 16.4% found them "very hard to find," 26.7% found them "hard to find," and 36.5% found them "somewhat hard to find."

[Gender Differences: Desire for Role Models and Difficulty in Finding Them] Among those who "want role models," 75.9% were men and 70.1% were women. Among those who find role models "hard to find," 81.1% were men and 77.5% were women. This indicates that men are more likely to want role models but also find them harder to find.

[Age Differences: Difficulty in Finding Role Models] Among those who "want role models," those in their 20s were the highest at 81.4%, followed by those in their 30s at 75.1%, 50s at 67.6%, and 40s at 66.6%. This shows a trend of higher need among younger age groups. Among those who find role models "hard to find," those in their 20s were the highest at 80.6%, followed by those in their 40s at 80.0%, 50s at 79.3%, and 30s at 79.2%. This indicates that younger individuals want role models but find them harder to find.

[Presence of Role Models and Reasons for Not Having Them] When asked about the presence of career role models, 76.8% of the total 469 respondents answered "no." Of these, 50.1% "do not have one," 18.6% are "looking but cannot find one," and 18.6% "do not have one currently." Only 23.2% had a role model. Among the 360 respondents who reported not having a role model, the most common reason was "no one in a similar situation" at 50.0%, followed by "no one around who can be a reference" at 37.5%, and "no one who can be considered an ideal" or "no one who can be emulated" at 20.3%.

[Reference Role Models and Their Elements] When asked about the type of person their role model was, among the 109 respondents who had a role model, "workplace senior" was the most common at 59.6%, followed by "not a specific person but multiple people" at 28.4%, and "friend" at 17.4%. Regarding the elements of a reference role model, "way of thinking about work" was the most common at 56.1%, followed by "working style" at 49.8%, and "work achievements" at 48.9%.

[Necessity of Role Models] When asked if they need a role model, 70.1% of the total 469 respondents answered "yes." Of these, 16.8% "strongly feel they need one," 21.1% "feel they need one," and 32.2% "somewhat feel they need one." Among the 329 respondents who reported needing a role model, the most common reason was "easier to envision goals and direction" at 62.0%, followed by "useful as a reference for actions and decisions" at 46.8%, and "motivation for growth and challenges" at 44.7%.

[Respondent Free-Commentary Comments]

Comments on the thoughts regarding role models were collected by gender.

◾️Men

- The value of staying with a company once joined is ingrained, so it's too different from the times to be a reference.

- I want to hone my expertise, but there's a company atmosphere that suggests one should become a manager as they get older. I can't imagine my future.

- I want to balance career and family, but it's impossible time-wise. I want real-life examples of people I can relate to.

◾️Women

- There was a female部長 who was raising children, but she was so powerful that I felt discouraged, thinking I couldn't do it.

- I want to reference examples of balancing full-time work and childcare, but those who exist either have extremely high or low annual incomes, making them not useful references.

- When my boss or evaluator is male, I feel I can't open up a path unless I'm recognized in their world. There's no one like that around me.

[Survey Summary]

The "2026 Career Awareness Survey" conducted by Job総研 found that over 80% of people have concerns about their careers or work, and about 60% do not have anyone to discuss these concerns with. The top reasons for not having a discussion partner were "difficult to speak frankly" and "no one to talk to seriously," indicating that many people are struggling with career concerns but lack someone to share them with. While over 70% feel the need for role models, about 80% responded that they are hard to find, suggesting a dual shortage of "people to consult with" and "figures to aspire to" in career development. In the past, supervisors and seniors often fulfilled both roles. However, with the normalization of job changes, organizational flattening, and the spread of remote work, opportunities for daily career discussions and building long-term relationships within the workplace have decreased, potentially making it harder to find discussion partners and role models.

On the other hand, the fact that "no one in a similar situation" accounted for half of the reasons for not having a role model can be seen as a characteristic unique to a diversifying society. Traditionally, there was a relatively common career path of gaining experience and being promoted within the same company, creating an environment where it was easy to project the path of a supervisor or senior onto one's own future. However, with the diversification of career options such as job changes, side jobs, and balancing childcare, it has become difficult to directly apply the experiences of others to oneself. The shortage of role models may be better understood not as a lack of numbers, but as a decrease in people one can aspire to become.

Furthermore, while the lack of role models is often discussed as a challenge for women, men showed a stronger tendency to seek role models and also found them harder to find. This does not mean that women's challenges have been resolved, but rather suggests that career uncertainty is expanding regardless of gender. In particular, men may be in a phase of exploring new ways of working and living as traditional promotion-centric career models become less functional.

This survey reveals a shift from an era of searching for "the ideal one" to an era of having "multiple people to reference" as one's role models. With no single correct answer in career paths, it is becoming more realistic to design one's own career by combining multiple role models, such as person A for work philosophy, person B for working style, and person C for balancing life events. Companies are also expected not to present limited success stories, but to create an environment where diverse career options and experiences can be shared. This environment is thought to help address both the shortage of discussion partners and role models, according to the survey results.

Job総研, with the concept of "Tomorrow's Common Sense, Starting Here," will continue to question what is considered common sense in society and conduct various surveys related to working styles. By disseminating real and transparent information, we aim to contribute to the realization of a society where individuals can thrive.

Persol Career Co., Ltd. Job総研 PR Representative

Riko Takagi

Joined the company in 2022 as a new graduate after interning since 2020. After belonging to the Content Marketing Group, she transferred to Public Relations in 2023 and is now in charge of research and studies at Job総研, which conducts surveys and research on awareness and behavior from various perspectives, focusing on "working individuals." Through Job総研, she upholds the personal vision of "connecting with society" and aims to contribute to the selection opportunities for working individuals and job seekers by analyzing the current state and future of the market and disseminating this information to society.

(※1) Job総研 "2022 Career Awareness Survey" (Published July 2022) https://jobsoken.jp/info/20220719/

(※2) Job総研 "2025 Workplace Loneliness Survey" (Published June 2025) https://jobsoken.jp/info/20250609/

About Job総研 < https://job-q.me/categories/job-souken >

Job総研 will continue to conduct surveys on careers and working styles, and will also collect voices from three perspectives – "society, companies, and individuals" – that cannot be captured by surveys alone, thereby undertaking more established initiatives. As a means to this end, based on facts revealed through questionnaire surveys, we will collect real-world questions from the workplace and also collect individual responses to them. Then, by questioning what is considered common sense in society, we will disseminate information as content that can discover tomorrow's common sense from here.

About JobQ Town < https://job-q.me/ >

JobQ Town, operated under the concept of "What you want to know about 'work,' someone else knows," has exceeded 400,000 cumulative registered users and is a service for exchanging information and consulting on careers and job changes. Users can search for specific company names and find not only reviews from current and former employees but also vague concerns about work in general, as well as anxieties about employment and job changes. It is a place where users can communicate anonymously to make better choices.

JobQ Town Q&A regarding "Workplace" https://job-q.me/tags/22101

About Persol Career Co., Ltd. < https://www.persol-career.co.jp/ >

Persol Career Co., Ltd., with the mission "To empower people to own their 'work,'" provides human resource services such as staffing, job advertising, and new graduate recruitment support through its転職 services "doda" and high-class転職 service "doda X." In May 2022, it launched "HiPro," a comprehensive support brand for professional human resources, and made a full-scale entry into the side job and freelance domain. By leveraging the full strength of the group, we strive to create social value that focuses more than ever on individual "work," and aim to realize a society where all "work" leads to smiles by facing social issues head-on.

About our mission: https://www.persol-career.co.jp/mission_value/