Developing the capacity for a proactively self‐managed career: An analysis of aspiring new‐generation employees in Japan

In Japan there is a significant mismatch between the skills new‐generation employees possess and the skills employers expect, with Japanese employers reporting a lower average satisfaction with graduate skills than that reported globally. By drawing on the concepts of ‘future work self’ and ‘proactive career behaviour’, this paper compares and contrasts the similarities and differences between Japanese and international students who will enter the workforce soon and explores why such a big gap in skills exists. As the results show, due to their unique social and cultural background and the influence of their contextual environments, fewer Japanese students develop the knowledge and skills important to their futures in comparison with international students, making them largely reliant on the concept of an organisational career rather than a proactively self‐managed one. Better graduate outcomes require more tailor‐made career counselling services to support students. Students should also familiarise themselves with employers’ expectations regarding desired skills