Even Japan's 98% Graduate Employment Rate... By 2040, "Munsonghamnida" Like Korea?

"By 2040, There Could Be a Surplus of About 300,000 Liberal Arts Graduates"

Concerns have been raised that even in Japan, where the employment rate for university graduates is high, a self-deprecating phrase similar to Korea's "Munsonghamnida" (meaning "Sorry for being a liberal arts major") could become popular in about ten years.

According to the Mainichi Shimbun on June 19, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology presented an analysis at an expert meeting the previous day, stating that "by 2040, there will be a shortage of more than one million science and engineering professionals, while there could be a surplus of about 300,000 liberal arts graduates." This outlook is based on the expectation that demand for science and engineering talent will increase due to changes in industrial structure driven by digitalization, while demand for liberal arts graduates will decrease.

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Currently, a significant number of students in Japan still choose liberal arts majors. According to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, as of 2020, only 17% of students entering national, public, and private universities in Japan chose science and engineering fields, which is far below the 2019 OECD average of 27%. In contrast, the proportion of students majoring in social sciences (32%) and humanities (14%) at Japanese national, public, and private universities is relatively high.

However, up to now, Japan's overall labor shortage has allowed about 600,000 university graduates each year to find employment without major difficulties, regardless of whether they majored in liberal arts or science. In fact, according to a sample survey conducted by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of 4,770 students from 62 national and private universities nationwide, the employment rate for university graduates as of early April this year reached 98%. This means that 98 out of every 100 job-seeking graduates were able to secure employment upon graduation. The employment rate for liberal arts graduates was 98.2%, slightly higher than the average, while the rate for science and engineering graduates was 97.3%.