Transnationalization of a recruitment regime: skilled migration to Japan

Japan, facing demographic decline and challenges of companies and universities to internationalize, has opened its doors to skilled migration. Focussing initially on a two-step student migration model, Japanese companies have now moved to recruiting young graduates from overseas universities, mainly in Asia. We argue that, with the help of brokers, the domestic recruitment regime, a set of particular employment practices, has been transnationalized. Based on interviews with stakeholders and discussing international recruitment fairs as the site of engagement, we present first evidence that the activities of brokers have the potential to change attitudes towards employability among overseas universities and their students. We also find that this development compromises original diversity objectives of Japanese employers and point to a lack of rules of engagement for brokers operating across national borders.