Recently Sada Honda and Satoshi Egawa, WIN President and Vice President, respectively, were invited to speak to the Japan American Society of Kentucky on current hiring practices.

In researching their presentation, Sada and Satoshi conducted a survey of 400 Japanese companies in the Midwest, East and the South, mostly manufacturing companies. Questions were addressed to top-level American and Japanese executives. The information in their answers is good news for job-seekers.

Since 1990 some Japanese companies have grown while others have shrunk. Overall, though, statistics indicate more Japanese companies and a total increase in employment. The workforce is changing. The number of non-Japanese managers in these companies is climbing, albeit slowly. Also crucial is the fact that Americans hold more executive-level positions.

In 1990, there was an average of 3.4 top-level non-Japanese managers in Japanese companies. By 1995, that number had climbed to 4.5 and it currently stands at 7.

The longevity of non-Japanese executives at the vice president level is growing as well, with some companies reporting VP’s with 11 or more years on the job. This reflects a continuing practice that Japanese companies are unlikely to hire Americans as president. Instead, following a traditional Japanese management philosophy, they hire American managers with top-level management potential, and groom them for the highest positions, incrementally increasing responsibility and salary levels. When Americans have learned all that is needed—operational philosophy, products, clients—and performed well, they are promoted into critical positions, with full support of the stock directors and officers.

All these changes are good news for candidates in search of a solid career that includes an opportunity to advance into the highest positions available.

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