Recruit and Works Institute contribute to the creation of a next-generation society in which each and every individual has the opportunity for a meaningful and stimulating “workstyle.”

Moved by the prospect of a “mosaic society”-which allows individuals a choice of careers that reflect their own strengths and preferences rather than purely their age or gender-we have for some time been passionately engaged in a drive to cultivate a labor market that matches up the right individuals with the right organizations. In answer to our hopes, our various types of information magazines became catalysts to the now widespread trend of mid-career job hunting, while our jobboards has helped open up the job market for new college graduates. We will continue to provide valuable data for those in search of jobs or human resources, and we will fight for an end to discrimination in hiring. Indeed, we are determined to assume the lead in helping Japan build a more progressive labor market.

※Mosaic choice
As mentioned above, a mosaic society is one that assures its members a choice of worksyles based on personal strengths and preferences, not age or gender. This concept was advocated by the Works Institute in 1997.

Japan was for many years a society centered on the notion of regular employment. In fact, the vast majority of its corporate employees are still regular, full-time employees today. Nonetheless, the last few years have witnessed a sharp proliferation in employment modalities. The percentage of part-time workers in the labor force has surged, and more and more people now prefer to work in temporary staff positions or on a contract basis. Many corporations, having become more sensitive about their “human resources portfolio,” now strive to acquire essential human resources under the employment arrangements of their choice. We have advocated the acceptance of open-ended, part-time employment for adults and encouraged workers in major cities to relocate to regional areas to work and live（an “I-turn”）and those who originally relocated to major cities to return to regional areas（a “U-turn”）. Today, in that same spirit, we want to assist in the development of a market and new workstyles that are conductive to a society that allows individuals and corporations a real choice when it comes to cultivating working relationships that satisfy their mutual needs.

※Human resources portfolio
Every business requires an optimal mix of human resources in the skill categories required for the implementation of its business strategy. This is the principle behind skill-specific employment contracts, human resources sourcing, and other initiatives in human resources management.

In 1998, following an uninterrupted expansion trend that started at the end of World War Ⅱ, the size of Japan’s working population peaked and entered a phase of decline. This is one of the phenomena of the “the jobless recovery.” Although work-sharing is one means of coping with this trend, a far more effective approach would be to help talented people launch their own ventures, in turn creating a cycle of new job opportunities for others. For example, during the period of chronic supply shortages that marked the oil crisis years, the nascent convenience store and chain store industries in Japan were able to harness an abundance of quality human resources and set the stage for a new cycle of employment growth.

※Jobless recovery
An economic recovery without a concurrent increase in employment is known as a jobless recovery. The U.S. economic upswing of the 1990s, for example, was rooted in a drive for productivity gains led by measures in downsizing and restructuring. It was some time before the benefits generated fresh demand for labor.

We now live in an age where individuals typically make several career choices in their lifetimes. Although the choice sometimes involves changing employers in an upwardly job-mobile society, in other cases it may involve a change of posts within the same company, or a decision to participate in a foreign study program. Whatever the case, the chance of enjoying a highly satisfying career over the course of one’s productive life is within reach, provided one makes the right choices. In reality, though, charting your own career path can be a daunting task at the outset. That is because most people initially do not have a clear grasp of their own skills or job fitness, let alone know what they really want to do in life. This is where we come in. To assist individuals in making responsible career choices that will ensure their own independence, we’ve advocated corporate mentoring programs, developed a range of skills-testing and career-counseling services, and provided opportunities for internships. And we plan to do even more in the future, as we move forward and continue with our lifelong quest to aid individuals in charting their own career paths.

※Mentoring
We offer a temporary, supportive course of training in career development and social and psychological preparedness, provided by wise and experienced individuals to their untrained counterparts. Mentoring has become an increasingly institutionalized strategy for the education of core human resources.

In publishing information on working terms and job content, it has been our aim to help cultivate a labor market where individuals and employers alike have a broader range of choice. However, we want to move one step beyond and give birth to a system that pairs individual preferences, skills, and competence with corporate visions and cultures. To that end, we have continued to refine and expand our definition and expression of competency while working to develop a category-based skills inventory. Furthermore, in the years ahead, we intend to perfect our own skill in wedding human resources with the right organizations.

※Competency
In the fulfillment of an assigned task, competency is the ability to demonstrate strong performance through action, thought, and planning（as defined by Spencer, the architect of competency assessment）.

Japan is already in the process of becoming a knowledge-intensive society where corporate competitiveness depends increasingly on the knowledge commanded by an organization’s individual members. Whereas promoting the acquisition of knowledge by the firm’s human resources will be a question of central importance to the average company, improving one’s skills and knowledge over the course of one’s career will likely be an issue of key importance to the average individual. “Employment-ability”-the appeal a corporation enjoys as a place where people would like to work-stands in juxtaposition to employability, the appeal that an individual enjoys as someone with skills that companies want to harness. Refining this relationship on a continual basis calls for effective strategies of human resources management. We want to help reinforce that relationship from a human capital perspective by conveying new messages and delivering new services. In addition, we want to assist individuals with their ongoing learning process.

※Human capital
The goal should be to treat employees as investors in their company’s labor, and human resources as a corporate intellectual asset.