Global Talent Trends – September 2025: IT Jobseekers Surge 36% Month-over-Month

Human Global Talent Co., Ltd., operator of the bilingual career platform Daijob.com, today released the September 2025 edition of its Global Talent Job Seeker Trends Report.

See the August 2025 report here:
Global Talent Trends – August 2025: Marketing/PR Sees 42% Year-on-Year Growth

<<Click here for the article in Japanese>>

About the Global Talent Data
In this report, “global talent” refers to individuals registered on Daijob.com who possess business-level proficiency or higher in both English and Japanese. The analysis focuses on users who were active during the reporting period—specifically, those who either submitted a job application or showed interest in scout emails.

Key Highlights

• Month-over-month: IT-related jobseekers surged 35.8%, marking a sharp rise in activity.

• Year-over-year: Overall jobseeker activity increased significantly, with IT and Electronics/Machinery categories both exceeding 45% growth.

In September 2025, jobseeker activity rose sharply in IT-related and Electronics/Machinery categories compared to August 2025.

The IT-related category showed a remarkable 35.8% increase, while Electronics/Machinery rose by 19.7%, both indicating strong momentum. These categories also recorded substantial year-over-year gains (as noted later), reaffirming their continued appeal to global talent.

Meanwhile, Finance/Insurance/Real Estate (−17.0%) and Creative (−12.8%) saw decreases from the previous month. Although these declines might appear negative at first glance, they may reflect short-term seasonal trends rather than structural changes. For instance, in the financial sector, jobseekers often delay career moves toward the end of the fiscal half-year, leading to temporary fluctuations in activity.

Comparing September 2025 with September 2024 reveals a clear upward trend across most job categories, indicating heightened activity in the overall global talent market.

The most notable increases were seen in IT-related and Electronics/Machinery, which rose by 45.3% and 46.6%, respectively. Finance/Insurance/Real Estate also recorded a significant 34.5% year-over-year increase, suggesting that the month-over-month decline observed earlier was likely temporary.

These year-over-year figures point to more than just short-term fluctuations—they highlight a broader, long-term strengthening of the global recruitment market for bilingual professionals.

The sharp month-over-month and year-over-year increases in IT-related jobseekers vividly illustrate Japan’s deepening shortage of IT professionals. The so-called “2025 Digital Cliff”—a warning issued by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry—has become an imminent reality, as the risks of aging legacy systems continue to surface.

As a result, many companies are accelerating digital transformation (DX) initiatives and stepping up recruitment of IT professionals skilled in AI, cloud computing, and cybersecurity.

To remain competitive globally, Japanese companies must catch up in areas such as cloud adoption and infrastructure modernization. Consequently, the demand for bilingual IT professionals who possess both high technical expertise and strong language skills continues to rise.

At the same time, companies are struggling to balance the costs of maintaining legacy systems with the investments required to build and operate new ones. However, overcoming this “digital cliff” is essential to safeguarding Japan’s international competitiveness. Jobseekers, for their part, appear to be responding to these market signals, increasingly shifting toward fields where their skills are most highly valued.

The Electronics and Machinery sector showed growth on par with IT, reflecting Japan’s renewed efforts to regain global competitiveness in manufacturing. Investment in robotics, IoT, and EV (electric vehicle) technologies has been accelerating, driving strong demand for global professionals capable of leading innovation in these areas.

The shift toward EVs extends beyond the automotive industry—it also fuels advancements in battery technology, charging infrastructure, and related software development. As a result, professionals who possess a hybrid skill set spanning both IT and engineering are increasingly valued.

Jobseekers, in turn, appear to be enhancing their market value by leveraging backgrounds in mechanical or electrical engineering while simultaneously developing IT-related skills such as AI and programming.

Japan’s economy in 2025 is showing signs of gradual recovery, supported by steady consumer spending and rising wages. Real GDP is expected to post positive growth, and companies are becoming more proactive in investing in human capital.

During the 2025 spring wage negotiations (Shuntō), the average wage increase reached 5.52%, surpassing the previous year and marking the second consecutive year above 5%*. Combined with ongoing inflation, this upward trend in compensation has raised jobseekers’ expectations for better employment conditions—further energizing the overall job market.

In addition to higher pay, work style reforms are also advancing. More companies are adopting remote work, flexible hours, and even side-job-friendly policies, making domestic opportunities increasingly attractive for globally minded professionals.

*Source: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), Japan. “2025 Spring Wage Negotiations and Settlement Status at Major Private Enterprises”, announced August 1, 2025. (Available in Japanese only.)

• Sales:
  The Sales category recorded steady growth, rising 10.0% month-over-month and 8.2% year-over-year. This trend reflects increasing demand for globally minded sales professionals, driven by Japanese companies’ overseas expansion and the recovery of inbound business. In particular, sales roles involving intangible products such as SaaS and advanced technologies are expected to remain in high demand.
• Education/Training/Language:
  This category rose 13.0% month-over-month and 15.2% year-over-year, showing stable and consistent growth. The increase stems from expanding corporate needs for global talent development and Japanese language training for foreign employees, as well as heightened individual demand for language learning.
• Finance/Insurance/Real Estate:
  Although activity in this category declined month-over-month, it still recorded a robust 34.5% year-over-year increase. This growth is supported by rising foreign investor interest in the Japanese market, ongoing innovation in fintech, and increased real estate transactions fueled by the recovery of inbound demand. Viewed from a long-term perspective, this remains an attractive sector for global professionals despite short-term fluctuations.

The next Daijob Career Fair, Japan’s largest job fair dedicated to global professionals, will take place on Friday, December 12, 2025.

Over 90% of participating companies consistently report meeting high-potential candidates with strong hiring prospects at this event. The fair offers a rare opportunity to engage directly with bilingual, globally minded job seekers.

If your company is considering participation, we encourage you to contact us for more information.

https://biz.daijob.com/en/lp/careerfair