73.9% of Employers with Experience Hiring Foreign Talent Say Results Exceeded Expectations; Challenges and Pitfalls Also Revealed

73.9% of Employers with Experience Hiring Foreign Talent Say Results Exceeded Expectations

PERSOL Global Workforce (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President: Morihiro Tada), a recruitment agency specializing in foreign talent under the Persol Group, conducted a survey on foreign talent recruitment among 700 executives and board members with experience in hiring foreign workers.

### Survey Summary

- 73.9% of companies with experience hiring foreign talent felt the results were "better than expected" compared to pre-hiring impressions. - The top reason for exceeding expectations was "earnest and sincere work attitude" (55.7%). - Challenges in recruitment and acceptance were focused on "interpersonal relations" rather than just language proficiency. - Even when language issues are removed, about 67% of companies still face challenges due to differences in organizational culture and communication styles. - 66.7% of companies plan to consider further recruitment in the future.

### Survey Overview

- Targets: 700 executives/board members with experience in hiring foreign talent (350 currently hiring, 350 previously hired). - Method: Internet-based survey. - Duration: March 31, 2026 – April 2, 2026.

### Survey Background

As of the end of October 2025, the number of foreign workers in Japan reached 2.57 million, an all-time high. While hiring them is a critical countermeasure to labor shortages, issues like early turnover have been raised. This survey aimed to clarify the satisfaction levels and challenges of companies that have actual experience hiring foreign workers.

### Detailed Findings

The primary reason for hiring is "resolving labor shortages" (44.6%), followed by "securing specialized talent." For those with a "Technology/Humanities/International Services" visa, the trend is more focused on securing specialized knowledge.

Regarding challenges, interpersonal issues ranked higher than operational or administrative tasks. Notably, even among those with high proficiency in Japanese, a lack of understanding of Japanese organizational culture—such as differences in grasping work instructions or the nuances of the "Ho-Ren-So" (report, communicate, consult) process—often hinders communication.