The impact of COVID-19 has brought unprecedented change to the world of work in Japan. As organisations continue to brave against the hurdles presented, it is vital they understand that the expectations and perceptions of professionals towards them have also been transformed by the crisis. In order to attract and retain the very best talent in the new era of work, businesses must adapt their approach to attracting, engaging and motivating professionals, says the CEO of recruiting experts, Hays.

These are some of the findings from The Inside Story of Japan, a monthly regional recruitment analysis undertaken by global recruitment expert Hays. Focusing on the IT contracting sector, the analysis found that owing to the current market, IT contracting talent focused on infrastructure-related functions like servers, networks and service desks are currently most in demand, alongside project managers and IT consultants.

While many organisations in Japan have returned to work, the sustained need and demand for remote working options amidst the ongoing pandemic has led to the emergence of hybrid working models – where workforces are split between those in the office and those working remotely. This will present various challenges for HR departments, says recruiting experts Hays.

The ongoing remote working revolution is not only changing the way organisations function, but also the way they hire. Many organisations in Japan are now interviewing remotely, which has led to faster and more efficient hiring processes. However, with remote working likely to become a permanent fixture in the new world of work, businesses are increasingly facing the challenge of communicating their employer brand to potential employees they are interviewing through virtual means.

The COVID-19 crisis has ushered in a new era in the world of work that is impacting both jobseekers and hiring organisations. Speaking on behalf of Hays consultants who are on the ground interacting with businesses and candidates every day, Richard Eardley, Managing Director of Hays in Japan shares 8 trends that are currently impacting recruitment in Japan.

As Japan continues to gradually resume activity in the wake of COVID-19, many businesses are still working towards regaining normalcy. According to Luca Pozzi, General Manager of global manufacturing firm Manuli Hydraulics in China and Southeast Asia, strategic staff management plays a critical role in how quickly businesses can return to pre-crisis levels of productivity.

The massive shift in traditional corporate tools and structures to support remote working in the wake of COVID-19 has kept Japan’s tech sector buoyant despite market uncertainty. Considering the chronically candidate short market, professionals in the fields of cloud technology and support are the need of the hour and form a critical source of revenue for the tech sector now more than ever.

The global COVID-19 crisis has already transformed the world of work, with much of its impact still unfolding. As the situation continues to develop and the road to recovery is expected to be a long one, business leaders and professionals must adapt and be agile to the challenges that are presented to them on a daily basis, with valuable lessons to be learned along the way.

Recruiting experts, Hays, has conducted a poll of over 1,400 people globally to find out their concerns around returning to their place of work following the end of lockdown restrictions and the changes they expect to happen in the world of work as a direct result of the pandemic.

As countries around the world continue in their battle against COVID-19 at varying stages, in China, the worst appears to have been overcome. Today, most of China’s businesses are gradually resuming operations, providing the world with an invaluable frame of reference as they prepare to return to work.

Despite recent relaxations of coronavirus restrictions, staff who can work from home continue to do so across Japan. For managers managing a remote team for the first time, making sure their team’s wellbeing is cared for – while also maintaining productivity – may prove challenging.

Hays, the leading recruiting expert, has launched a free online training portal designed to help employers and teams in Japan grow the skills they need to function effectively and thrive in the face of Covid-19.

According to Richard Eardley, Managing Director of Hays Japan, working from home can be an isolating and lonely experience. But looking after your wellbeing is key to staying mentally and physically healthy whilst still being a productive and effective worker. To ensure you perform your best at this difficult time, Richard offers seven tips that can help maintain wellbeing while working remotely.

Remote working can sometimes create obstacles to communication, collaboration, relationship building and accessibility which may result in an impact of workplace culture. Richard Eardley, Managing Director at Hays Japan, shares 5 ways employers can maintain their workplace culture remotely and successfully manage from afar.

For employers in Japan who are hiring remotely, here are five tips that are essential to conducting a successful video interview and landing the right candidate for the role.

Japan continues to lead the adoption of hiring temporary/contracting staff in Asia for the fourth year in a row, finds the latest Asia Salary Guide report by leading recruitment experts Hays. The report’s findings further showcase the support temporary/contracting workers offer to the Japanese economy, particularly in terms of uncertainty where their specialized skillsets and flexibility prove most valuable.

Great Place to Work®, the global authority on workplace culture, ranked Hays fourth on the 2020 Best Workplaces in Asia list under the category of ‘Best Multinational Workplaces in Asia’. More than 2.2 million employees participated in the survey studies that covered eight 8 Asia-regions and countries where Great Place to Work is represented.

Hays’ offices in Japan will take all necessary measures to protect colleagues’ and customers’ health and safety. Whilst our offices in Japan are open now, we appreciate your understanding that:

According to at Hays, “for some, the perceived lack of real interpersonal interaction during a video interview can be a cause for anxiety. It’s important that you counter this and other unconventional aspects of a video interview by making some necessary adjustments to your interview style.”

95% of organisations across Japan are bracing for the impact of skill shortages on their effective business operations in 2020, finds the latest Asia Salary Guide report by leading recruitment experts Hays.

This year marks the 13th edition of the annual Hays Asia Salary Guide, which remains a definitive snapshot of salaries for positions across industries in Asia. The salary and hiring insights, including a thorough market overview of business outlooks, salary policies and recruitment trends, are based on survey responses from close to 6000 working professionals located in the five Hays operating markets in Asia; namely China, Hong Kong SAR, Japan, Singapore and Malaysia.

This year marks the 13th edition of the annual Hays Asia Salary Guide, which remains a definitive snapshot of salaries for positions across industries in Asia. The salary and hiring insights, including a thorough market overview of business outlooks, salary policies and recruitment trends, are based on survey responses from close to 6000 working professionals located in the five Hays operating markets in Asia; namely China, Hong Kong SAR, Japan, Singapore and Malaysia.

Every machine or device used in people’s day to day lives relies on coding in some way and as job roles become more digitised, its importance is growing in the world of work. According to data from Gartner, connected ‘things’ (such as mobiles, tablets and smart watches) will far outstrip the world’s population by 2020, with the expectation that we’ll see over 20 billion devices in use.

This year marks the 13th edition of the annual Hays Asia Salary Guide, which remains a definitive snapshot of salaries for positions across industries in Asia. The salary and hiring insights, including a thorough market overview of business outlooks, salary policies and recruitment trends, are based on survey responses from close to 6000 working professionals located in the five Hays operating markets in Asia; namely China, Hong Kong SAR, Japan, Singapore and Malaysia.

Leading global recruitment company, Hays Specialist Recruitment Japan KK, has released the “Hays Asia Salary Guide 2020”. The guide summarizes the salary levels of 1244 jobs, as well as recruiting trends surveyed from over 5000 working professionals across five Asian countries/regions.

Hays surveyed over 5,500 people in nearly 150 countries and asked whether they intended to look for a new job in 2020. Of those that said they were looking for a new role, 40% stated it was time for a change, while 22% said it was due to a lack of training and career progression in their current role and 13% said it was due to them being dissatisfied with their current salary and benefits.

Organised by business technology site Information Age, the Women in IT Awards series aims to tackle detrimental gender stereotypes in the tech industry and redress gender imbalances by showcasing the achievements of women in the sector and identifying new role models for them. Since its launch, in 2015, the Women in IT Awards have showcased women in technology in London, New York, Ireland and Silicon Valley. This was the first year the awards expanded to celebrate women in technology in Singapore, Berlin and Toronto.

Marked by continued digital innovation, business transformation and a slowing global economy, 2020 is lining up to be a year that will be as full of challenges as it will opportunities. One of the major effects of these market conditions in Asia will be slower and more cost-effective hiring processes across industries and functions – meaning that it has become more important than ever for candidates to be able to ‘prove their worth’ as the right fit for a role.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of people aged 60 and over is estimated to double to more than 2 billion by 2050. As the average age of populations across the globe increases, older workers will soon represent a greater proportion of the workforce and businesses must make sure they are utilising the skills of more mature workers.