Japan is currently experiencing an unprecedented "seller's market" in which high school graduates are sought-after commodities in the job market. With an ageing population and declining youth demographic, companies are fiercely competing for these young job seekers. The situation is atypical of traditional Japanese employment practices, changing the dynamic for high school leavers, who are now faced with an interesting choice; enter the workforce immediately after school or pursue further education.

In Japan, securing stable employment after graduation has traditionally been a critical issue. The current labor market situation shifts the power dynamic in favor of the job seekers, particularly high school graduates—an unusual phenomenon in the Japanese context. It reopens a debate about the importance of higher education versus early entry into the job market, and may potentially change how parents and students view education and employment.

In contrast to the US or the EU, where the idea of a seller's market is not unusual, this is a relatively new phenomenon in Japan. While most young people in Western countries embark on further education or training to improve their employment prospects, Japanese high school students are being aggressively recruited into the workforce.