JILPT Research Report No.227
The Second Survey of the Activities of Nationally Licensed Career Consultants

June 21, 2023

Summary

Research Objective

The Career Consultant Certification System in Japan was established in 2016, and since then the number of nationally licensed career consultants has continued to steadily increase. At the end of fiscal year 2022, it marked seven years since the establishment of the system, and the number of licensed career consultants has exceeded 60,000. To further promote the system, it is necessary to survey their activities continually from time to time, and consideration should be given to the future registration system and related measures.

In particular, the surveys on career consultants have been conducted four times in the past, and comparisons over time have been made. As a result, challenges such as the aging of career consultants; relative shift of career counseling activities from employment agencies to private-sector companies; the low level of social recognition of career counseling and the need for further publicity and promotion of career counseling were identified. However, even though more than five years have passed since the last survey, the actual situation in the meantime has not been fully grasped.

Therefore, we planned to conduct the survey together with the questionnaires from the previous four surveys to get a more detailed picture of the actual status of career counseling and career consultants. This research especially sought to determine whether long-term trends are evident in the comparisons over time and whether different changes are seen.

Research Method

Survey target

58,748 nationally licensed career consultants enrolled at a specified nonprofit corporation, the Career Consulting Conference (that is delegated by the government, and referred to below as the “CCC”) as of June 3, 2022, and subscribed to the e-mail news service that the CCC provides to the enrolled members.

Survey method

A link to a dedicated survey website was sent to the enrolled members via the above e-mail news service. The enrolled members responded to the web-based questionnaire via the Internet.

Survey period

July–August 2022 (Questionnaires were sent out on July 21, with the deadline set on August 5. The responses were collected up to those arrive on the day of the deadline).

Number of responses

7, 586 (response rate 12.9%)

Survey items

Survey items were developed to allow for comparison over time with the previous four surveys:

1. Attributes (basic characteristics) of career consultants such as gender, age, place of residence, specialized field, etc.
2. Employment status of career consultants (whether employed or not; job category and size of workplace; position/title, etc.)
3. Activities of career consultants (working full-time or in specialized fields, or concurrently holding other positions or working in other fields; specific activities; topics consulted, etc.)
4. Reasons for inactivity of career counseling (a question set for those who do not have opportunities to work as a career consultant)
5. Actual activities of career consultants as freelancers (such as how to get jobs, etc.)
6. Career consultant's own career formation (such as education, employment history, work experience, etc.)
7. Awareness as a career consultant (such as level of satisfaction, future challenges, new activities in the future, etc.)
8. Free comments on the Career Consultant Certification System, etc.

Key Findings

1. Changes over time with the results from the last four surveys (summary)

By comparing the results of the previous four surveys, we have captured changes in the activities of career consultants over the past 15 years. Table 1 summarizes these changes over time.

Table 1. Changes over time in career consultants’ activities

Age	The aging trend was evident, with a sharp decline in the 30–40 age group, a peak in the 50s, and an increase in the 60s and older age group. In particular, the number of men in their 60s and older increased, while the peak for women, which was in their 40s in 2006, shifted to their 50s.
Gender	Since 2013, the proportion of women and men has persisted at 60% and 40%, respectively, and this trend has slightly intensified over the past five years. The most common gender and age groups are, in order, “women in their 50s,” “women in their 40s,” “men in their 50s,” and “men in their 60s,” with these gender and age groups accounting for 70% of the total.
Areas of activity	The number of activity areas has increased in Tokyo and Aichi, whereas decreased in Osaka over the last five years. Compared to the national census, the number of career consultants to population ratio is higher in Tokyo, Aichi, Kyoto, and Osaka.
Whether currently active or inactive	The share of respondents who were active increased from 2006 to 2013, but after 2013 the share of those who were active began to decline, and currently about 30% of respondents are inactive.
Primary areas of activity	(1) The share of the activities at employment agencies has consistently decreased from about 50% in 2006 to about 20% at present, (2) Activities at private-sector companies have steadily increased from over 20% in 2006 to about 40% now, and (3) Activities at schools, communities/welfare areas, and others have slightly increased. In general, during the 16-year period from 2006 to 2022, there has been a significant shift in their activities from employment agencies to private-sector companies.
Status of full-time or concurrent with other positions	About 40% of respondents worked full-time or in specialized fields, while about 60% held concurrently other positions or worked in other fields, and this trend remained unchanged in the most recent survey.
Industries	"Services, N.E.C." which include "Employment and worker dispatching services," and "Education, learning support" have shown a steady downward trend since 2006.
Purposes of acquiring the certification	Over the past five years, "improving professional skills" and "because it was necessary for work" have decreased, while "preparing for the future of my professional life" and “contributing to society by making use of my experience after retirement" have increased.
Related qualifications	In terms of related qualifications, "teaching license" and "mental health counselor" have decreased, while "health supervisor" and "financial planner" have increased.
Employment status/type	The proportion of respondents in regular employment was above 40% from 2006 to 2010, but after a sharp decline in 2013, it began to rise and recently exceeded 50%.
Status of activities	The share of respondents engaged in career counseling on a daily basis has decreased, while the share of those who are inactive has increased. However, the share of those who are active almost every day has increased in private-sector employment agencies and communities.
Annual income	Annual salary of career consultants has increased slightly over the past five years.
Frequently consulted topics	In terms of frequently consulted topics in counseling, “how to proceed with job search or job change activities,” as well as “how to write a CV or fill in a job application form” have decreased, whereas consultations on “content of current job tasks,” “transfer request within the company” and “future life planning, skills development, and career planning, etc.” have increased.
Most difficult issues raised in career counseling	As in the past, mental health, developmental disabilities, and relationships in the workplace were the most difficult issues raised in counseling, although this varied from survey to survey.
Challenges in career counseling activities	As in the past, the challenges cited included their own competence, the low level of social recognition of career counseling, and the inadequacy of the environment in which they provide counseling. There has been a decrease in the share of respondents who perceived their inadequate treatment as a challenge.
Comparison of 2017 and latest 2022 survey	(1) The share of respondents who earn a living solely from activities other than "career counseling-related activities" has increased. (2) There have been declines in satisfaction with career counseling activities and decreases in the perception of the usefulness of career consultant certification. (3) The share of those engaged in career counseling activities have decreased, while the share of those engaged in human resources, administrative, clerical, or administrative duties have increased. (4) There has been a general increase in the proportion of respondents working for large companies.

2. Changes in primary areas of activity

Of the changes over time described above, Figure 1 shows the changes in the "primary areas of activity." From 2006 to the present at the time of writing (June 2023), the "activities at employment agencies" have decreased, while the "activities at private-sector companies" have increased, and there have been slight increases in "activities at schools," "communities and welfare," and "others."

Figure 1. Career consultants’ primary areas of activity

3. Frequently consulted topics and difficult issues raised in career counseling

The most frequently consulted topics in career counseling activities provided to individuals in the past year were “content of current job tasks/responsibilities” (40.4%), followed by “how to proceed with job search or job change activities” (37.8%), and “future life planning, skills development, and career planning, etc.” (37.0%). The “content of current job tasks/responsibilities” (31.8%) ranked fourth in the previous survey (in 2017), but is now ranked first.

As shown in Table 2, the most difficult issues raised in counseling were “developmental disabilities” (20.5%), followed by “mental health” (17.7%) and “relationships in the workplace” (13.3%).

Table 2. Frequently consulted topics (multiple answers) and difficult issues raised in career counseling (single answer)

	Frequently consulted topics (Top 3)		Difficult issues raised in career counseling
	ｎ	％	ｎ	％
Content of current job tasks/responsibilities	2152	40.4%	143	2.7%
Future life planning, skills development, and career planning, etc.	1974	37.0%	424	8.0%
Transfer request within the company, etc.	490	9.2%	198	3.7%
Relationships in the workplace	1554	29.1%	708	13.3%
Development of subordinates’ knowledge and skills and their career formation	585	11.0%	128	2.4%
How to proceed with job search or job change activities	2017	37.8%	272	5.1%
Planning for the future and selection of a career path	809	15.2%	234	4.4%
Making a list of past job experiences and review them, etc.	797	14.9%	61	1.1%
How to write a CV or fill in a job application (tips and suggestions)	1644	30.8%	89	1.7%
Vocational aptitude and self-evaluation	762	14.3%	180	3.4%
How to prepare for a job interview	939	17.6%	48	0.9%
Matters concerning personal life (such as family life, human relations, etc.)	484	9.1%	388	7.3%
Matters related to student life (such as choice of classes and seminars, etc.)	112	2.1%	57	1.1%
Issues related to mental health	700	13.1%	946	17.7%
Issues related to developmental disabilities	310	5.8%	1093	20.5%
Others	100	1.9%	173	3.2%
Counseling intended for individuals was not conducted	190	3.6%	191	3.6%
Total	5333	100.0%	5333	100.0%

* The top three topics are shaded.

Policy Implications

1. Aging of career consultants

The results of this survey indicate that career consultants are mainly in their 50s, that the number of consultants in their 60s and older is increasing, and that the number of consultants in their 30s and 40s is decreasing significantly. The aging of career consultants had been noted in the previous survey, and this trend was further reinforced. While it is desirable for middle-aged and older workers with extensive professional and life experience to obtain career consultant qualifications, it is also hoped that a certain percentage of regular employees will obtain certification in their 20s and 30s and gain practical experience working as career consultants. Some foreign countries are making efforts to foster human resources qualified to provide career guidance at the higher education level, such as universities and graduate schools. This should be considered as one of the measures to train career consultants in younger age groups.

2. Career consultants’ providing advice in the fields of IT and digital

In relation to the fact that most career consultants are middle-aged or older, older consultants are less likely to use online tools in their career counseling activities. In light of these results, It can be pointed out that career consultants face a challenge in responding to the IT and digital fields, which are considered growth industries. There is an urgent need for career consultants to address the IT and digital fields, which requires a deeper understanding of these fields. It is also crucial for career consultants to stay up to date on trends in various industries and sectors, not only in the IT and digital fields, and to focus on understanding the work of main occupations. In particular, after the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become essential to respond through online counseling or other means. The most discussed topic overseas today is the shift of career guidance to online/ICT and the improvement of IT skills of career support personnel for this purpose. In Japan, this needs to be addressed more than ever before from both practical and theoretical perspectives.

3. Career consultant's own career formation

The results of the survey also suggest that while career consultants work on continued learning at various opportunities, in addition to renewal courses to maintain their registration as nationally certified career consultants, many of them still feel that their competence is not sufficient. One reason for this is that some career consultants have not had the opportunity for actual counseling after obtaining their certification, and have not been able to develop their skills through hands-on experience, which has been a challenge. While combining supervision—the process by which career consultants who provide interpersonal support receive advice, guidance, and education from a higher-level supervisor, some form of trial counseling experience is required, especially internships and other practical training that closely resembles real-life counseling situations.

4. Areas of career consultants’ activities

Currently, approximately 40% of career consultants are active in the private-sector companies. Over the past 15 years, there has been a significant shift in their activities from employment agencies to private-sector companies. Additionally, alongside the shift in activity areas, the results of this survey suggest that career counseling on the internal labor market has expanded, whereas, on the contrary, career counseling on the external labor market, which focuses on job search or job change activities, has relatively shrunk. Recent discussions on career counseling and career consultants place particular emphasis on supporting individual workers’ learning and relearning which includes an expansion of the Career Formation and Relearning Support Center, etc., and the development of measures including a shift from company-provided career support to individual-focused career support designed to promote individual’s proactive career formation is also indicated. An appropriate balance of career support in both the internal and external labor markets needs to be considered.

Contents (available only in Japanese)

JILPT Research Report No.227, full text [main text and appendix section] (PDF:19.0MB) [in Japanese]

Category

Human resources management/vocational skills development

Research Period

FY2022–2023

Researchers (in order of writings; titles and affiliations are at the time of writing)

SHIMOMURA Hideo

Vice Research Director, The Japan Institute for Labour Policy and Training

TAKAHASHI Hiroshi

Head of Youth Career Research Institute

MAEDA Tomomi

Career Consulting Conference (Specified Non-profit Organization)

ARAME Maki

Professor, The Polytechnic University of Japan

For Citation

JILPT. 2023. Dainikai kyaria konsarutanto torokusha no katsudo jokyo to ni kansuru chosa [The Second Survey of the Activities of Nationally Licensed Career Consultants]. JILPT Research Report No. 227. The Japan Institute for Labour Policy and Training.

Related Research

• JILPT Research Report No. 223, Current Situation and Challenges in Introducing Measures for Career Development Support at Enterprises (2023)
• JILPT Research Material Series No. 250, Research on Career-related Qualification and Digitalization of Career Support in Developed Countries (2022)
• JILPT Research Series No. 208, Survey on Workers’ Life and Career Attitudes: Attitudes toward Work, Study and Life (2021)
• JILPT Research Material Series No. 226, Career Counseling Utilizing Job Card: Focusing on the Function as a Career Planning Tool in the Enterprise Area (2020)
• JILPT Research Report No. 200, Survey on Activities, Etc. of Nationally Licensed Career Consultants (2018)
• JILPT Research Report No. 191, Current Status, Effects and Latent Needs of Career Counseling: From Survey Results including Responses from 1,117 Persons with Experience of Counseling (2017)

JILPT Research Report at a Glance

• Category
• In English
• In Japanese