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.

中文翻译：

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培养积极自我管理职业的能力：对日本有抱负的新一代员工的分析

在日本，新一代员工所拥有的技能与雇主期望的技能之间存在显着的不匹配，日本雇主报告的毕业生技能平均满意度低于全球报告的水平。本文通过借鉴“未来工作自我”和“主动职业行为”的概念，比较和对比即将进入劳动力市场的日本和国际学生之间的异同，并探讨为何存在如此大的技能差距。结果表明，由于其独特的社会和文化背景以及所处环境的影响，与国际学生相比，日本学生发展对其未来重要的知识和技能的人数较少，使他们在很大程度上依赖于组织职业的概念，而不是主动自我管理的职业。更好的毕业生成果需要更多量身定制的职业咨询服务来支持学生。学生还应该熟悉雇主对所需技能的期望。