Emerging Trends in Recruitment for Customer Service and Sales Jobs in 2025

circus Corporation, located in Chuo-ku, Tokyo, has conducted a thorough analysis of recruitment trends for customer service and sales positions using data from its job introduction platform, circusAGENT, covering the first half of 2025. This investigation aims to provide valuable insights for job seekers and hiring managers alike, shedding light on various trends observed in the intermediary hiring landscape.

Research Overview

The analysis focused on customer service and sales positions listed between April and September 2025 on circusAGENT. Out of the approximately 1,963 job postings analyzed, only those from four industries with more than 200 listings were included to ensure the relevance and richness of the data.

Key Findings

1. High Demand for Inexperienced Candidates
A prominent finding of the analysis revealed that a staggering 77.7% of the customer service and sales job listings required no prior experience. This trend was particularly notable within the human resources and BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) industries, where a remarkable 93% of job listings were open to inexperienced applicants. The surge in demand for inexperienced individuals can primarily be attributed to the expanding number of outsourced projects within the BPO sector, which necessitates a steady supply of manpower on-site.

2. Median Expected Salary Insights
The median expected salary across all analyzed positions stood at ¥3,800,000. Notably, sectors such as services and manufacturing reported salaries exceeding ¥4,000,000, indicating a relatively higher compensation level. In contrast, the human resources and BPO industries saw a median salary of only ¥3,150,000, demonstrating a significant variation of approximately ¥1,000,000 when comparing salaries across industries.

3. Recruitment Costs and Commission Rates
The average introduction fee rate across the board was reported at 13.2%, relatively low in comparison to other sectors. Interestingly, the commission rates for inexperienced positions surpassed those for experienced hires. This phenomenon reveals that many firms set their fees at a standardized amount, reflecting a strategic approach towards cost management for applicant acquisition.

Dynamics of Recruitment Criteria

1. Job Experience Requirements

Approximately 80% of job listings required no prior experience, making it evident that the market is widely open to inexperienced candidates.
If we look further, the BPO industry stood out with over 90% of job listings omitting requests for specific prior experience. The persistent need to maintain a certain number of operational staff in environments such as electronics retail and mobile sales necessitates a focus on potential and personal attributes over prior experience.

2. Academic Qualifications

The analysis also found that 57.1% of job postings did not stipulate an educational background, further emphasizing the importance of personal qualities and communication skills over formal education, especially within the BPO and manufacturing sectors where more than 60% of opportunities were academic background agnostic.

Compensation Trends

The calculated median expected salary across all customer service and sales roles stood at ¥3,800,000, which was higher for those with experience (¥4,800,000) compared to those entering the field for the first time (¥3,750,000), indicating a difference of ¥1,050,000 based on experience levels. The service and manufacturing sectors reported higher compensation compared to the BPO industry due to its considerable inclination towards entrance-level hiring.

Analysis of Hiring Costs

In terms of hiring fees, the average introduction fee reached ¥500,000, and the fee rate of 13.2% reflected a lower cost in comparison to other sectors. A peculiar but noteworthy finding is that inexperienced candidates had a higher percentage in fee rates (13.3%) compared to their experienced counterparts (10.4%). This disparity likely results from a fixed pricing structure maintained for job placements in the customer service industry, where a common fee of approximately ¥500,000 is prevalent regardless of experience.

Conclusion

The fact that around 80% of job postings were open to applicants without experience and over half did not require specific academic qualifications might suggest a relatively low hiring barrier in the sector. However, this data also hints at a strategic expenditure by firms, showing willingness to invest approximately ¥500,000 irrespective of applicant experience. Furthermore, companies are increasingly incorporating recruitment agencies into their staffing strategies to meet the demanding labor supply in the customer service sector.

As we look forward, circus Corporation remains committed to continually monitoring trends in the recruitment landscape for customer service and sales roles, aiming to provide ongoing insights and analyses to aid businesses in shaping their hiring strategies effectively. By comparing data across various job types, including sales, IT, administration, and marketing, we will further enhance understanding of industry-specific hiring trends.