Recognizing but Not Prioritizing: Japanese Employer Perspectives on Study Abroad Experience

Abstract

This study examines how Japanese globally engaged firms evaluate and recruit graduates with study abroad experience, revealing a gap between stated recognition and actual hiring practices. While the government promotes study abroad as essential for developing global human resources, firms' recruitment practices remain rooted in the domestic shinsotsu saiyo (new graduate recruitment) system, creating institutional friction. Through semi-structured interviews with human resource managers from five firms in Aichi Prefecture, this study analyzes how organizations navigate conflicting institutional pressures―government globalization policies and deeply embedded employment norms―and technical pressures such as business expansion and labor constraints. Findings reveal three response patterns: large firms engage in symbolic compliance, acknowledging study abroad experience as a “plus factor” while maintaining unchanged selection criteria; small and medium-sized enterprises demonstrate localized adaptation, valuing graduates' mediation skills for managing diverse workforces; and all firms show a preference for recruiting international students at Japanese universities as an alternative pathway to global competencies. This study contributes to understanding how institutional constraints shape firms' evaluation of globally oriented talent and offers implications for higher education initiatives in global talent development.