Following figures indicating there has been a drop in graduate recruitment in Japan, Tokyo has announced plans to help young people secure work.

The official data published on January 18th revealed around one in three university students in the country graduating in spring 2011 have not yet secured positions.

As businesses and organizations remain cautious about increasing their workforces, ministers have implemented strategies aimed at raising access to the labor market.

The measures include the expansion of a subsidy program for firms appointing graduate students and a series of jobs fairs across the country, showcasing small and mid-sized enterprises in particular.

A total of 68.8 per cent of students surveyed by the Labor Ministry and the Education Ministry in Japan had found jobs by December 1st 2010, the lowest rate since such records began in 1996.

Junior college students struggled in particular to secure work, despite strengthening economic reports from many businesses in recent months.

According to figures from the Japan Statistics Bureau and Statistics Center, the number of people in jobs fell during November 2010 by 80,000 year-on-year to 62.52 million, although there was a drop in unemployment of 130,000 during the 12 months.

Posted by Kate Griffin