Graduate recruitment plan survey for new graduates joining in spring 2022, university graduate recruitment up 4.4%
March 22, 2021 (Monday) Cloudy with occasional sun
・ Renesas Electronics <6723> [Close 1,228 yen] On the 21st, indicating it would take about a month to resume production at the Nakai Plant (Hitachinaka City, Ibaraki Prefecture), which has been halted due to a fire.
Semiconductors typically require 2–3 months to manufacture due to many processing steps, and it is expected to take more than 3 months for supply to normalize.
Vehicle semiconductors produced at that plant are expected to be in shortage worldwide due to U.S.–China trade frictions and surging demand.
The U.S. cold wave in mid-February caused local plants to stop, accelerating the situation.
・ The Nihon Keizai Shimbun summarized the 2022 spring new graduate recruitment plan survey (first takeaway), with university graduate recruitment plans expected to rise 4.4% from the 2021 spring actuals.
While the COVID-19 crisis has restrained hiring in railways and travel, electronics plans double-digit increases.
The policy is to increase automobile hiring as well, making clear the strong recruitment drive for talents needed for digitalization and decarbonization.
・ FANUC <6954> [Close 26,715 yen] Plans to invest 26 billion yen to expand an industrial robot factory in Shanghai, China.
China's economy is recovering from the COVID-19 crisis and aims to become a manufacturing powerhouse, promoting automation in various fields such as electronics.
FANUC intends to capture demand through large-scale investments and maintain its leading market share in China.
・ The government will gradually ease New Coronavirus measures as the nationwide state of emergency, announced for the Tokyo metropolitan area, is fully lifted at 0:00 on the 22nd.
Restaurant hours will be extended from the current closing time of 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
・ The Israeli general election (120 seats) for the fourth time in two years is due on the 23rd.
The focus is on whether Prime Minister Netanyahu will continue in office amid ongoing bribery trials. This time too, a contest between pro-prime minister supporters and opposition is expected.
・ Saudi Aramco, the Saudi state oil company, reported on the 21st that 2020 results showed a 44% year-on-year decrease in profit due to demand weakness amid the COVID-19 crisis.
With the decarbonization trend accelerating and Western majors reducing investments,
Aramco is advancing digital investments to streamline drilling and supply chains, aiming for “survivor’s benefit” in the oil market.
・ Global COVID-19 infection numbers (new infections by region, as of 4:00 PM on 3/21, Johns Hopkins University) World total: 122.812 million cases (8,177 new deaths)
United States 29,783,723 (771) Brazil 11,950,459 (2,438) India 11,599,130 (197) Russia 4,397,816 (388) United Kingdom 4,304,839 (96) France 4,277,183 (286)
Italy 3,356,331 (401) Spain 3,212,332 (0) Turkey 2,992,694 (95) Germany 2,669,233 (98) Colombia 2,331,187 (136) Argentina 2,241,739 (41)
・ Nihon Keizai Shimbun summarized the 2022 spring recruitment plan survey (first takeaway); the lock-down-driven demand is expected to lead to increased hiring in supermarkets and land transport.
While sectors that capture demand for home meals and e-commerce stay steady, apparel and department stores show notable declines due to reduced outings.
The COVID-19 crisis has created a dichotomy among domestic demand companies.
・ University graduate recruitment ranking
1st Outsourcing <2427> [Close 1,867 yen] 2022 spring plan: 2,650 people; 2021 spring actual: expected 2,296 people
2nd Aeon Group <8267> [Close 3,288.0 yen] About 2,300 people, 2,300 people
3rd Sony Group <6758> [Close 11,555 yen] 1,100 people, 1,100 people
4th ALSOK <2331> [Close 5,310 yen] About 900 people, 900 people
5th Meitec Group <9744> [Close 6,250 yen] 880 people, 789 people
・ In Australia, real estate brokerage, management, and contract work are being digitized by “PropTech.”
Australia’s population continues to grow, and suburban housing remains popular under COVID-19 with historically low interest rates, boosting the housing industry.
・ RakuuN HD <3031> [Close 2,229 yen] President Koji Obata says, “A long-unchanged business practice changed in just a few months.”
The company focuses on digitizing wholesalers. Its stock price has tripled in one year.
The company’s online shop “Super Delivery” carries products from small and medium apparel and miscellaneous goods manufacturers that have passed the company’s screening.
As of the end of January, 2,278 shops had opened stores, and the number of retailers using it exceeds 200,000 items.
Since 2020, the wave of digital transformation (DX) surged into the distribution sector where face-to-face transactions became impossible.
The key will be whether the company can convert customers gained during the pandemic into repeat buyers.
Whether the wholesale DX model can also be applied overseas is a central question.
・ Domestic COVID-19 cases in Japan: confirmed domestic cases 456,794 (new cases +1,119 as of 8:00 PM on the 21st) deaths 8,849 (+20)
Hokkaido 20,371 (+60) Tokyo 117,517 (+256) Kanagawa 47,077 (+77) Chiba 28,625 (+88) Saitama 31,660 (+79)
Kyoto 9,267 (+11) Osaka 49,158 (+100) Hyogo 18,905 (+46) Fukuoka 18,729 (+34) Aichi 26,734 (+34) Miyagi 4,726 (+112)
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