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Japan – Help still wanted

27 July 2015

The founder and chief executive of one of Japan's largest job-search websites, DIP Corp., is more sanguine about the nation's employment picture than its difficult environment for start-ups according to an interview with him in the Forbes Asia magazine.

"Japan makes salarymen, not entrepreneurs," says Hideki Tomita. Tomita, who never intended to be a "salaryman," runs a company that had USD 180 million in revenue in the fiscal year through February and saw its profit jump at a compounded annual growth rate of nearly 27% over the past decade.

The company's main site, Baitoru.com, is focused on part-time work and accounts for three-quarterss of its revenue. It's the most popular part-time job portal in Japan's major urban regions, according to DIP, based on brand recognition, site visits and actual job applications processed.

Tomita wants baitoru.com, the part-time jobs site, to surpass industry giant Recruit Holdings' Townwork in actual sales as well as maintain its lead in other measures according to the article. He estimates  that would entail tripling revenue by 2020..

DIP is expanding its office network in Japan and seeking greater brand recognition through advertisements using a famous actress, Aya Ueto, and the  all-girl band AKB48. It hired 300 new graduates this year, bringing its total regular payroll to over 1,300.

Tomita spent almost a year trying to woo Silicon Valley venture capitalists but was rebuffed because his business was overseas.

Even with more hospitable conditions for new enterprises, the attitude toward failure in Japan lingers. "Greater recognition is needed of people taking challenges--of course, challenging also equals failure at times," Tomita says. "In Japan if you fail at a business once, you're not called a 'loser,' but challenging again is pretty difficult. You're said 'not to have the necessary ability'--or [told] that 'it's impossible.' You're not given credit for the experience of failing.

"If you haven't even stood up on your own, you shouldn't criticize those who have taken a challenge and fallen."

To read the full article follow this link

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jsimms/2015/07/22/as-the-part-time-market-booms-japans-largest-job-search-website-excels/

DIP does not yet feature in our list of the largest job boards globally which members can see here

http://www.staffingindustry.com/site_member/Research-Publications/Research-Topics/North-America/2015-Job-Boards