27 Jul, 2013

Hays Releases Quarterly List of HotSpot Jobs in Japan

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Tokyo, July 24, 2013 – (ACN Newswire) – Accountancy, sales and compliance professionals are in demand in Japan’s jobs market as organisations invest selectively in headcount, according to recruiting experts Hays in Japan.

The recruiter has released its latest Hays Quarterly Hotspots list of jobs in demand, and a driving factor is the focus of organisations on replacing departing staff, up-skill teams and selectively recruiting once more.

“While the long-term effect of Abenomics is still to be seen, it has certainly supported an increase in vacancy activity across a number of skill requirements,” says Jonathan Sampson, Regional Director of Hays in Japan.

“Demand is not evident in every function in every location, but there are pockets of specific skill shortages and areas of staffing demand,” he said. “Hiring managers are more optimistic. They are replacing departing staff and making selective investments in roles that can add immediate value to their business. Based on feedback from employers, there is a feeling that there will be some recovery of our economy.”

But he warns that employers have high expectations when they recruit. “Employers will only make job offers to the top tier candidates. They are still looking for specific skills and background that matches their industry.”

According to the Hays Quarterly Hotspots list, demand exists for the following skilled professionals in Japan:

– FP&A Managers: There is a shortage of candidates to fill these roles, especially those who have bilingual skills.

– Accountants: Many companies looking for candidates require junior level applicants but expect them to have a high level of English language skills and experience in accounting. Juniors are new to the workplace and often do not have these skills.

– Compliance: Tighter and new regulations are creating a continuous demand for high level compliance officers in financial services.

– Internal Audit and Corporate Governance: These candidates continue to be in high demand as banks increase their focus on risk mitigation and tightening internal controls in order to comply with regulations. In addition, as organisations look to increase their presence in the region there is often a regulatory requirement to increase their ratio of Internal Auditors to match this growth. This is fuelling high demand for the appropriate candidates.

– Network Engineers: Japan is currently trying to build the infrastructure to support core system services and enhance in-house networks. Companies require extra staff to work on the projects and to support larger networks, which is fuelling the need for Network Engineers.

– Application Support: We are seeing high trading activity in Japan as the economy and financial market conditions improve. This means support areas that have previously been reduced now need extra staff in the front office for equity and fixed income.

– HR Consultants: There is high demand for candidates with a broad range of specialised skills across HR, project management and sales.

– Payroll: The payroll function is being brought in-house in many companies which means that more staff are required to manage it.

– Smart Phone Developers: This industry is booming in Japan especially in regards to gaming technologies. As this is a high growth area there is high demand for candidates who have the skills to develop new and existing technology.

– Claim Adjusters: There is still high demand for experienced Claim Adjusters due to the increase in direct marketing insurance companies. The difference from last quarter is that employers are being selective and looking for experienced candidates rather than inexperienced young potential candidates.

– Bilingual Lawyers: Bilingual language skills are in high demand since employers consider it an advantage to speak both English and Japanese in this industry.

– Clinical Research Associates: Since new drugs are consistently being released into the market we are seeing a continual demand for CRAs. These new drugs span various therapeutic areas. Given the increasing number of new drugs requiring monitoring, more CRAs are required to support and monitor clinical trials. We are also seeing a shortage of experienced CRAs in the market, and consequently many companies are actively starting to hire and train inexperienced candidates internally.

– Sales Administrators / Assistants: Businesses in Japan have been expanding their sales force which has resulted in the need for more staff to support the sales teams.

– Asset Managers: The recent weakening of the Japanese Yen has made real estate a more attractive investment option for overseas funds. Japan is seen as an economy in recovery, yet real estate prices are still well below historical highs. Japanese real estate tends to be regarded as lower risk and less volatile than other countries and therefore there is a high demand for Asset Managers in the current market. The March 2011 earthquake, although not centered in Tokyo, violently shook buildings in Kanto, yet none of them sustained any serious damage. This helped reaffirm the belief in the build quality of office and residential properties in Japan.

– Marketers for the online and gaming industry: Smart phones and online gaming software is constantly growing and becoming more technologically advanced. As this is a very competitive market companies need skilled marketers to get their products into the market and build interest.

– Sales Representatives: Sales Representatives are in high demand across the board, particularly in regards to direct sales rather than partner sales roles.

– Indirect Procurement Senior Managers: Management specialists with English language skills are in high demand as global strategies show that these candidates add more profit to companies and help reduce costs. In the pharmaceutical industry these members of staff are key to business growth however candidates are very conservative and therefore in high demand.