"I Want to Work for a Korean Company, but the Boss..." Japanese Job Seekers Concerned About Korean Workplace Culture

Japanese Job Seekers: 50.8% "Want to Work for Korean Companies"
Rapid Growth Seen Positively... Concerns Over Competition and Hierarchical Culture

A significant number of Japanese job seekers want to work for Korean companies. The spread of Korean Wave culture and the growth of Korean companies are believed to have had a positive influence, but many also expressed concerns about intense competition and hierarchical workplace cultures.

In the “2026 Employment Attitudes Survey of Japanese University Students and Job Seekers,” conducted by the Tokyo office of the Korea International Trade Association, 50.8% of respondents said they were willing to work for Korean companies operating in Japan.

Image extracted using AI.

Specifically, 19.5% said they very much wanted to work for a Korean company, while 31.3% said they wanted to do so to some extent. The proportion who said they were willing to work for local Japanese companies as well as Korean companies in Japan reached 46.1% (19.5% “very much” and 26.6% “to some extent”). This was about twice the 23.3% who said they did not want to work in Korea.

Positive Views of Korean Companies' Growth... Workplace Culture Seen as a Burden

Japanese job seekers rated expansion into overseas markets as the strongest point of Korean companies' competitiveness. Asked about their positive perceptions of Korean companies, 70.4% cited globalization. Rapid growth (38.4%) and a vibrant, challenging atmosphere (33.7%) followed.

By contrast, respondents also expressed clear reservations about the working environment at Korean companies. A total of 74.1% cited intense competition as a negative aspect of Korean companies. The proportion who pointed to a strict hierarchy and a top-down organizational culture reached 65.7%. Another 24.9% said they thought job security would be unstable.

“Job Responsibilities” Most Important When Choosing a Job

Interest in Korean culture was also reflected in respondents' preferred fields of work. They showed the greatest interest in arts, sports and tourism (55.2%), followed by marketing and planning (44.8%).

However, when choosing a company to actually work for, respondents said they placed importance on job responsibilities and working conditions. Job responsibilities topped the list of selection criteria (multiple answers allowed), at 73.1%, narrowly ahead of salary and benefits (72.1%). Days off and vacation time (62.3%) were also key considerations.

Positive Views of Korea, but Limited Understanding of Its Companies

The survey found that interest in Korean companies had not translated into gaining information about them. Just 7.7% of respondents said they knew Korean companies well, while 31.3% said they knew them to some extent.

By contrast, more than half, or 56.2%, said they had only heard of the companies by name or knew that they existed. Analysts say that while the popularity of Korean pop culture has boosted positive perceptions of Korea, this has not led to a sufficient increase in understanding of recruitment information or working conditions at individual companies.

The online survey was conducted among 297 people, including users of the Japanese job search site Job Japan and students at Japanese universities with Korean language departments.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.