In a survey of job-offer results for 529 Class of 2027 students released ahead of 1 October, the appeal of corporate culture, people and the work they wanted to do outweighed name recognition as deciding factors in joining a company, and 62% ultimately decided to join a food-related company. The average number of offers received was 1.9, with Kewpie and Kagome among the companies offering positions.
The results of the job-offer report survey conducted by the food-industry-focused job-hunting platform “Tsunagaru Job Hunting” among students scheduled to graduate in 2027, based on preliminary figures as of the end of August and responses from 529 people, showed that the most common deciding factor in choosing where to join, with multiple responses allowed, was “having work I want to do” at 61.2%, followed by “the social contribution of the business” at 54.6%, “growth, stability and future prospects” at 53.9%, and “corporate culture and the atmosphere among employees” at 52.0%, exceeding name recognition at 36.9%.
According to the survey, 62.0%, or approximately 6 in 10 respondents, ultimately decided to join a food-related company, including food manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers and food infrastructure companies. The average number of offers received per person was 1.9, indicating a tendency to choose 1 company they were comfortable joining after receiving multiple offers.
As a related event, the “Food Industry Job-Hunting Strategy Event: Autumn,” to be held online on 3 October 2026, was announced. Representatives from all 32 companies, including Kewpie, Kagome, Nippon Access, Mitsubishi Shokuhin and Life Corporation, will appear. The event will be free to attend, require advance registration and allow participants to enter and leave freely during the event.
The event will include sessions offering a firsthand look at the appeal of senior employees’ corporate cultures and people, live content such as public mock interviews and entry-sheet preparation classes, and a benefit providing a PDF of preferential information to all respondents. The participating companies are divided into the categories of food manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers and food infrastructure companies.