Parents are job hunting!

?

Expanding “Oyakaku” February 26th 11:20am

Job hunting for university students will soon be in full swing, but do you know this word that is spreading in the job hunting market these days?

``Oyakaku''

means that when a company makes a job offer to a student, it obtains the approval of the student's guardian in advance.

In a survey conducted by a job information site, more than half of the parents of job-hunting students answered that they had received "Oyakaku" from a company.

Why are parents becoming involved in job hunting between companies and students?

(Reporters Mami Kimura and Mitsuru Kude, Osaka Broadcasting Station)

Expanding “Oyakaku”

There are various methods of "Oyakaku".

Parents may receive a phone call from a company that offers their child a job offer asking, ``I'm going to give you a job offer, but do you agree?'' and documents such as the ``Joiner's Pledge'' include a space for parents to sign.

The pledge states, ``After submission, we will not refuse employment without justifiable reason.''

Job information site Mynavi conducted a survey in January 2024 targeting 851 parents of university students and graduate students who are planning to start work this spring, asking whether they have been contacted by a company that has offered their children a job offer. I did it.

As a result, more than half of the parents, 52.4%, said they had received Oyakaku, a significant increase from 17.7% in the survey six years ago.

In addition, 17.3% said they were "invited to a job offer ceremony or joining ceremony," and 8.6% said they were "sent materials to parents."

What do students and parents think?

We heard a variety of opinions from students and parents who are job hunting.

A graduate student who was job-hunting and experienced the "Oyakaku" situation: ``

The company I had been offered a job with asked me to contact my parents, so I confirmed with my parents whether I had accepted the job offer.I didn't understand the company's intentions, so I was a little nervous I was confused. I was thinking about what I wanted to do when I was looking for a job, so I didn't think my parents' wishes had much to do with it."

University student

: “I think it would be better to consult your parents and get their opinions rather than just thinking on your own.”

Mother in her 50s

: ``I'm at the age where I've graduated from university and entered the workforce, so I want to make my own decisions about employment and be independent.''

Daughter, a third-year high school student

: ``In the end, I'll make the decision myself, but if something happens, I'll get help.'' I think they will help you, so I will talk to your parents about it.”

Why is “Oyakaku” spreading?

When the job information site surveyed this year's job seekers who they consulted when deciding on a job offer, the most common answer was ``father or mother'' at 61.9%.

The person in charge of the employment information site believes that changes in parent-child relationships are one of the reasons behind the spread of ``Oyakaku.''

Yosuke Hasegawa, Researcher, Employment Information Site

: ``The university student population is decreasing due to the declining birthrate and aging population, and the competition for hiring new graduates is becoming even more intense, creating a so-called ``seller's market''.In addition, the parent-child relationship I think that the number of parents and children who have a good relationship with each other and who are easy to talk to has increased as the parents have become more frank.If parents approve of their child's job offer, it will lead to the person's desire to join the company. I think the number of companies that are working on this will increase.”

“Oyaori” is also held

Oyakaku is not the only approach from companies to parents.

“Oyaori” was held in December 2023 at IT companies in Osaka Prefecture.

"Oyaori" means "orientation for parents," and refers to information sessions for the parents of prospective applicants.

The aim is for children to see the workplace together with their parents and deepen their understanding of the company.

This event was held because students tend to value the opinions of their parents when choosing a company to work for.

Five prospective students and eight parents participated in the briefing session on this day.

Company representatives will explain the job content and stability of performance, and make appeals to reassure parents.

We also intentionally held briefing sessions on weekday evenings when many employees were in the office, as well as office tours where employees could see how they actually worked, and social gatherings with senior employees.

Mother of a job offeree

: ``I came because I was curious about the workplace where my son works.I was able to see how my son talked to the people at the company, and I felt relieved that he was already used to it.I'm glad I came. I'm sure there are times when you have troubles at work, but I want you to work with enthusiasm without having to worry about interpersonal relationships." Job

offeree

: "I was a little embarrassed because I was wondering what my mother would talk about with the people at the company, but I don't know what kind of company it is. I'm glad that I was able to get along well with the families of the other candidates."

Yusuke Ishii, who planned ``Oyaori,''

said, ``There are students who calm down after receiving a job offer and become anxious, wondering if the company will be okay. I think that having the support and support that parents give will make it easier to choose a company.I'm glad that I was able to have parents come to the company and tell them about the great atmosphere."

A series of requests to create pamphlets for parents

Human resources consulting companies that provide support for companies' recruitment activities are receiving many requests to create company information pamphlets for parents.

The first time I created it was 9 years ago.

After that, requests continued to come in, and this year we have already received requests from five companies.

Due to the nature of their business, inquiries from companies are increasing, especially IT companies that are not well known by individuals.

The pamphlet of an IT company in Osaka Prefecture contains a six-page message from the president to parents.

``I am confident that we will overcome the recession.'' `

`I pledge to be responsible for the lives of my employees for the rest of my life.'' `

`My employees are a treasure and I am proud of them.''

Maho Teshima, a human resources consulting company, says,

``An increasing number of companies want to prevent their children from declining job offers, and we continue to receive requests to reach out to parents.Parents become anxious when there is little information about their children's job offers. I think it will be effective to convey this information and dispel any concerns.”

Interview postscript

I (Kimura) was job hunting until two years ago.

At that time, there were several times when a human resources representative asked me, ``What do parents think?'' and asked me about my parents' intentions in a conversation.

I didn't really pay attention to it because I thought it was just a small talk, but now that I think about it, I realize that maybe I wanted to play "Oyakaku".

The atmosphere at the ``Oyaori'' site that I visited during my interview this time was more friendly than I had imagined.

I feel that ``Oyakaku'' and ``Oyaori'' are becoming an option for companies, students, and parents to decide on a job that satisfies each other.

(Broadcast on “Hotto Kansai” on February 16th)

Osaka Broadcasting Station reporter

Mami Kimura

in charge of reporting on disasters and education

entering the station in 2023

Reporter at Osaka Broadcasting Station

Joined the station in 2024 after working at

Mitsuru Kumite Shimbun

. Reporting on international relations and multicultural coexistence.