Daijob.com has released its August 2026 Global Talent Trends Report, examining direct application activity among global professionals with business-level or higher proficiency in both English and Japanese.

• Direct applications for IT increased 2.7% month over month (MoM) and 3.2% year over year (YoY) in August 2026. Positive movement across both time frames supports continued testing of job postings as a candidate acquisition channel.
• On a YoY basis, Consulting rose 21.4%, Sales 8.6%, Service/Retail 5.9%, and IT 3.2%. The results show that application trends varied significantly by job category.
• Sales increased 8.6% YoY but declined 5.6% MoM. Employers should distinguish recent momentum from the longer-term comparison rather than relying on either benchmark alone.
• Education/Training/Language, Administrative, and Planning/Marketing/PR declined both MoM and YoY. Employers hiring in these categories should review candidate availability, role requirements, and job description effectiveness against their own recruitment results.

This report tracks application activity among Daijob.com users who meet the language criteria defined above. It does not represent Japan's labor market as a whole, total supply and demand for global talent, employer hiring demand, or actual hiring outcomes.

Role-level percentage changes should also be viewed alongside multi-month trends and the availability of candidates who match an employer's specific requirements. A single month's movement does not by itself establish a sustained hiring trend.

• Key Trends
  Direct applications for IT increased 2.7% MoM and 3.2% YoY in August 2026, putting both short-term and year-over-year comparisons in positive territory.
  

• Market Hypotheses
  Application behavior in IT can vary by specialization, technology stack, experience level, and how English is used in the role. Employer hiring plans and changes in job requirements may also influence candidate decisions.
  The available data, however, does not isolate these variables, so no single factor can be identified as the driver of the increase.
  

• Actionable Advice for Employers
  Continue testing job postings as a candidate acquisition channel. Clearly define the technology stack, development responsibilities, team structure, and specific situations in which English is required.
  Employers should also track screening pass rates and interview conversion—not application volume alone—to validate how closely incoming candidates match the target profile.
  

• Key Trends
  Direct applications for Sales declined 5.6% MoM but increased 8.6% YoY. The short-term and year-over-year benchmarks therefore point in different directions.
  

• Market Hypotheses
  Candidate interest in Sales roles may differ depending on the product or service, customer segment, balance between new-business development and account management, and required language proficiency.
  The current dataset does not identify which of these factors contributed to the movement.
  

• Actionable Advice for Employers
  Assess the positive YoY result separately from the recent MoM decline. Job descriptions should clearly state the product or service being sold, target customers, sales approach, and the situations in which English is used.
  Transparent performance expectations and compensation criteria can also help candidates determine whether the opportunity is a strong fit before applying.
  

• Key Trends

  Direct applications increased 2.7% MoM and 3.2% YoY, with positive movement across both benchmarks.

• Market Hypotheses

  Candidate behavior may vary by technical specialization, job requirements, and timing of individual job searches. The current data does not identify a specific driver behind the increase.
  

• Actionable Advice for Employers
  Continue testing job postings while making the role as concrete as possible. Specify the technology stack, responsibilities, development phase, and how English will be used.
  Track screening and interview conversion alongside application activity to validate the fit between the candidates applying and the profile you are seeking.

• Key Trends
  Direct applications declined 6.0% MoM and 2.5% YoY.
  

• Market Hypotheses
  The Other category encompasses a diverse range of specialized roles, and differences among those roles may be reflected in the aggregate result.
  

• Actionable Advice for Employers
  Rather than relying solely on the category-level movement, review the candidate pool most closely aligned with your specific vacancy.
  Start by clearly defining the responsibilities, essential qualifications, and target candidate profile before assessing market availability.

• Key Trends
  Direct applications declined 4.3% MoM and 17.0% YoY.
  

• Market Hypotheses
  Application behavior may differ across executive assistant, general administration, HR, and other administrative functions, as well as by the frequency and complexity of English use.
  

• Actionable Advice for Employers
  Separate essential qualifications from preferred ones. Clearly state which responsibilities actually require English and what level of practical experience is necessary.
  If the relevant candidate pool is limited, review how experience, language proficiency, and compensation requirements interact rather than tightening each requirement independently.

• Key Trends
  Direct applications declined 4.6% MoM and 8.8% YoY.
  

• Market Hypotheses
  Scope of responsibility, compensation, decision-making authority, and the company's stage of development may all influence whether senior professionals choose to apply.
  

• Actionable Advice for Employers
  Go beyond the job title. Define expected outcomes, scope of responsibility, management authority, involvement in business decisions, and compensation range.
  Then validate whether the position and its requirements align with the candidates available in the relevant talent pool.

• Key Trends
  Direct applications increased 14.3% MoM but declined 14.9% YoY, showing opposite movement across the two benchmarks.
  

• Market Hypotheses
  Application patterns may differ by creative discipline, required tools, portfolio expectations, and the scope of production responsibility.
  

• Actionable Advice for Employers
  Do not treat the MoM increase alone as evidence of a sustained shift. Review the movement alongside several months of data.
  Job descriptions should clearly define expected deliverables, responsibilities, required tools, and any portfolio or assignment requirements used during selection.

• Key Trends
  Direct applications increased 8.5% MoM and 21.4% YoY. Consulting recorded the highest YoY percentage increase among the 12 categories in August 2026.
  

• Market Hypotheses
  Specialization, project experience, compensation, and language requirements may affect candidates' decisions to apply. The current dataset does not establish which factor contributed to the increase.
  

• Actionable Advice for Employers
  Use job postings to test candidate response while clearly defining the consulting discipline, project scope, required experience, and situations in which English is used.
  Before making major changes to your recruitment strategy, compare the result with multi-month trends and your own selection outcomes.

• Key Trends
  Direct applications increased 0.5% MoM and 5.9% YoY, with both benchmarks in positive territory.
  

• Market Hypotheses
  Candidate interest may vary across customer service, store operations, and management roles, as well as by location, working hours, and language requirements.
  

• Actionable Advice for Employers
  Continue testing job postings while clearly communicating location, shift requirements, compensation, career progression, and how frequently English is used.
  Review post-application conversion as well to determine whether the candidates attracted by the posting align with the role.

• Key Trends
  Direct applications declined 3.7% MoM and 16.8% YoY.
  

• Market Hypotheses
  Application behavior may vary across corporate planning, digital marketing, communications, PR, and other specialist functions within this broad category.
  

• Actionable Advice for Employers
  Avoid overly broad descriptions such as “general marketing.” Clearly define the functional scope, expected outcomes, required skills, and specific responsibilities that require English.
  Before revising requirements, compare the available candidate pool with your own recruitment performance.

• Key Trends
  Direct applications declined 5.6% MoM but increased 8.6% YoY.
  

• Market Hypotheses
  Product category, customer segment, sales model, and language requirements may all shape candidate interest. The current data does not determine which factor contributed to the differing MoM and YoY results.
  

• Actionable Advice for Employers
  Treat the YoY increase and recent MoM decline as separate signals.
  Clearly explain the product or service, customer profile, new-business versus account-management responsibilities, performance model, and how English is used so candidates can assess the opportunity accurately.

• Key Trends
  Direct applications declined 13.9% MoM and 21.0% YoY.
  

• Market Hypotheses
  Hiring cycles, employment types, subject areas, and the nature of teaching or training responsibilities may affect when candidates enter the market.
  The available data does not establish whether seasonality or a particular hiring cycle drove the movement.
  

• Actionable Advice for Employers
  Clearly define the target learners, teaching or training scope, required credentials, and employment conditions.
  When reviewing recruitment timing, use historical application patterns together with your organization's actual hiring lead time rather than relying on a single month.

• Key Trends
  Direct applications were flat MoM at 0.0% and declined 28.3% YoY, the lowest YoY result among the 12 categories.
  

• Market Hypotheses
  Professional qualifications, industry experience, and differences across finance, insurance, and real estate may affect candidate behavior.
  

• Actionable Advice for Employers
  Review the relevant specialist candidate pool and multi-month application trends before changing the hiring plan.
  Clearly distinguish essential credentials and experience from preferred qualifications, and make the responsibilities and compensation structure transparent.

• Key Trends
  Direct applications declined 22.2% MoM and 16.7% YoY.
  

• Market Hypotheses
  Application behavior may vary by technical discipline and product area, including design, development, quality assurance, and production engineering.
  The available data does not establish that investment, production, or other external industry trends caused the decline.
  

• Actionable Advice for Employers
  Check candidate availability for the specific technical discipline you need.
  Review technical and language requirements separately, distinguishing what is essential at the time of hire from skills that can realistically be developed after joining. Compare the result with multi-month trends before making major changes to the recruitment plan.

No. An increase in applications does not, by itself, mean the role has become easier to hire for.

Employers still need to assess whether candidates match the required experience, language proficiency, compensation range, and other role-specific criteria. Screening conversion and actual hiring outcomes should be reviewed alongside application activity.

No. A category-level decline does not mean an individual vacancy should be taken off the market.

The data reflects overall direct application movement by job category, not the application potential of a specific employer's opening.

Review the candidate pool that matches your actual requirements, then validate compensation, essential qualifications, responsibilities, language usage, and recruitment timing.

Start by validating the candidate pool against your proposed requirements.

Review the target role, required language proficiency, experience level, and compensation range. Separate essential qualifications from preferred ones and make the job responsibilities and employment conditions explicit.

For timing, work backward from the target start date using your historical hiring lead time and multi-month application patterns rather than making decisions based on a single month's change.

Role-level application trends are most valuable when translated into the specific requirements of your own vacancy. Daijob.com offers three ways to help employers turn market data into practical hiring decisions.

Confirm whether registered Global Talent matching your target role, language proficiency, experience level, and other key requirements is available and active on Daijob.com.

Review salary range, essential qualifications, responsibilities, and the way the opportunity is positioned to candidates. Identify areas where your requirements or messaging may be limiting candidate fit.

Work backward from your target start date to determine when recruitment should begin and whether job requirements or hiring timelines need adjustment.

Contact your Daijob.com representative to discuss candidate availability, job description optimization, or recruitment planning for your specific hiring needs.