Nichi-Bei News

News and Information from the Japan-America Society of Washington DC

August 01, 2006

Japanese Companies in US Go on Hiring Spree

So says a Wall Street Journal-Nikkei article of July 17.

It says, "Japanese firms operating in the U.S. have started hiring. It is a seller's market because in the U.S., Japanese companies are not as popular as their U.S. and European counterparts. They attract fewer job seekers, and fluency in Japanese and English are a must for top jobs."

The Nikkei Business Daily asked President Scott Tsukasa Sato of New York-based employment agency Pasona NA Inc. about this niche in the U.S. job market. He said that hiring is active in a wide range of industries, from information technology to manufacturing and finance, particularly the automotive sector.

Geographically, Sato said, job demand is increasing primarily in the Midwest, where many auto-related Japanese firms operate. Smaller firms, those with around 500 employees, have begun serious hiring in the U.S. for the first time.