Sustainability
Contribution to the SDGs
Recruit Group aims to contribute to achieving the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through all of our corporate activities in a global effort toward a better future.
Recruit Group’s vision is “Follow Your Heart”. We envision a world where individuals and businesses can focus on what really matters - the idea that when more people are free to pursue their passions, we can achieve a better future. The preamble of the SDGs declares that no one should be left behind in the pursuit of a society in which all people can pursue greater freedom. We believe that the greater freedom described here is exactly what we envision: a future in which we have the opportunity to choose our own way of life from a variety of options.
Since its founding in 1960, Recruit Group has been dedicated to democratizing job opportunities through providing information platforms. According to the OECD, approximately 40% of people are assumed to fall into poverty if they were without income for three months*². We recognize that we must take action for the better through our business activities, primarily by helping individuals find jobs that will help them earn an income.
We have long been working toward broadening accessibility to the labor market and transforming job matching to make it easier and simpler. However, there is so much more we can do to actualize our vision. By bringing together the data, technology, and expertise of Recruit Group, we will foster innovation to develop a quality, inclusive, and equitable job matching infrastructure for all (Goal 9).
As a start, Recruit Group is committed to improving job-matching efficiency and reducing the time it takes for job seekers to get hired by half by FY2030*³. At the same time, we are committed to taking additional steps to support job seekers from vulnerable and marginalized communities who face systemic barriers*⁴ and cannot be helped through improved matching efficiency alone. We aim to help minimize these barriers through technology and partnerships, which will further shorten the time it takes to get hired. Through these efforts, we will contribute to promoting decent work for all (Goal 8) and creating a future where getting a job is as simple and easy as the push of a button. When job seekers can quickly find the right job for themselves, it will lead us to help end poverty in all its forms (Goal 1) and promote equal opportunity and social and economic inclusion for all to reduce inequality (Goal 10).
Since its founding, Recruit Group has bet on the ideas and passions generated by the curiosity of its diverse employees, creating new businesses and services that celebrate and recognize our differences. Our management team is determined to reiterate the importance of maximizing employees' motivation. We have established and will continue promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) as an area of focus across our group. While we celebrate all aspects of DEI, we are currently focused on, and committed to, addressing gender disparities within our group, and aim to have approximately 50% of employees, managers, senior executives, and members of the Board of Directors be women by FY2030*⁵ (Goal 5). We also aim to respect and protect the human rights of all people through all our corporate activities.
To support the longevity of our planet, Recruit Group is committed to protecting the health of our environment. We are determined to accelerate “Climate Action” (Goal 13) by achieving carbon neutrality by FY2030*⁶ through our entire value chain.
In pursuit of our commitment to sustainability, Recruit Group will continue to prosper together with all stakeholders to realize a sustainable, brighter world where all individuals can live their lives to the fullest—and contribute to achieving a future envisioned by the SDGs.
*1 On this webpage, the number of years stated are reflective of the number of Recruit Holdings' fiscal years which begin on April 1 each year and end March 31 of the following year. All figures displayed here are approximate.
*2 The figure is based on data from 28 countries sourced by OECD's report "How's Life? 2020."
*3 Average estimated duration it takes for people who get hired through the Indeed online job-search platform after they started to apply to a job on the platform, calculated by available data.
*4 Initiatives aim to support racial and ethnic minority groups, people without higher education, people facing barriers due to age bias, and people with disabilities. The Company may also aim to reduce various other barriers, including newly emerging issues in the labor market by FY2030. The initiative as of today includes help through the Indeed online job-search platform, and through partnerships with organizations such as Goodwill Industries International and Shaw Trust with whom Indeed collaborates.
*5 Senior executives are defined as Senior Vice Presidents and Corporate Officers of Recruit Holdings and Matching & Solutions Strategic Business Unit ("SBU"), and CEOs of the Company's major subsidiaries and heads of key functions in the HR Technology and Staffing SBUs. Figures for managers and employees are calculated from Recruit Holdings, SBU Headquarters, and primary operating companies of each SBU. Managers mean all of those that have subordinates except for senior executives.The Board of Directors members are defined as Directors of the Board and Audit & Supervisory Board members.
*6 GHG emissions through business activities are the sum of direct emissions from the use of fuels in the owned or controlled sources ("Scope 1") and indirect emissions from the use of purchased electricity, heat, or steam in the owned or controlled sources ("Scope 2"). GHG emissions through the value chain are indirect emissions other than Scope 1 and 2, occurring in the value chain ("Scope 3"). The entire value chain represents the total of Scope 1, 2 and 3. Carbon neutrality includes reducing GHG emissions as well as offsetting residual emissions.