The University of Tokyo has called on companies to ease pressure on students to allow them to freely apply to different companies.
Due to the labor shortage in Japan, more and more companies are forcing students to cut off contact with other companies. This practice, also known as “owahara,” has already been criticized by the Japanese government as it restricts freedom of career choice.
Pressure on students has increased again
After the pandemic was officially declared over in Japan, pressure on students has increased again after slowly decreasing since 2015. Students are now often forced to take part in events, long training courses or study trips in order to leave them no more time to look for other companies.
In some cases, companies even require students to call the competition and explain that they are no longer interested in applying. There are also cases where students are required to sign a document committing to join a specific company if they want to receive an informal job offer.
University of Tokyo urges companies to refrain from “owahara”.
Meanwhile, the University of Tokyo has released a statement warning companies not to take any action that could interfere with freedom of choice of work or be perceived as harassment. Companies are also urged to instruct their hiring staff to refrain from sexual harassment and exploit the weaknesses of students trying to secure a job.
In Japan, companies hire many new college graduates every year, and students start looking for jobs about a year before they graduate. Japan Business Federation rules allow companies to hold orientation sessions starting in March and begin interviews and selection processes in July.
2023-11-04 06:03:57
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