Graduating students secured job offers before the official recruiting season started on 1 June, reports The Asahi Shimbun, citing a survey from Recruit Co, part of Recruit Holdings. The survey that shows government-led guidelines on hiring have largely been ignored. The guidelines are intended to allow university students to focus more on their studies by preventing companies from starting their recruitment drives too early. They also state that businesses can offer information seminars for third-year students in March and grant interviews for fourth-year students in June. However, many companies start hiring much earlier than that to secure the best students.

As of 15 May, 72.1% of students who will graduate in 2024 had already received a job offer, the survey found. The 72.1% figure is 6.7% higher than the ratio for the same period the previous year, suggesting that more recruiters are getting a head-start.