TOKYO, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- Job offers to new graduates in Japan have reduced sharply and at the fastest pace in more than a decade due to Japanese companies' efforts to reduce cost amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a government survey revealed Tuesday.
As of Oct. 1, 69.8 percent of university students who will graduate next spring have received job offers, down 7.0 points compared to a year earlier, a joint survey by the education and labor ministries showed.
The government launched the first job offer survey in 1996, and the latest one is the first time in five years to see a ratio under 70 percent in October.
The plunge was the sharpest since 2009 when the index decreased by 7.4 points due to the global financial crisis, according to the survey.
In terms of industries affected by the pandemic, airlines were highlighted as they have been struggling with a significant plunge in air travel demand.
ANA Holdings Inc., the parent of All Nippon Airways, said Tuesday that along with other group firms, they will employ a total of about 200 new graduates for the business year starting next April.
The company hired around 700 new graduates for the current year while originally it had a plan to employ about 3,200 which was revised due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The joint survey was conducted via telephone or in person on 4,770 students from 62 national, public and private universities across Japan. Enditem
