About half of LGBTI students in Japan looking for their first job have had ‘uncomfortable’ experiences during interviews.

Tokyo non profit, ReBit, surveyed hundreds of LGBT people who had applied for jobs as graduates in the 10 year period leading to 2018.

The survey found 40% of lesbian, gay and bisexual people had experienced uncomfortable job interviews. But for trans people it was worse, with 80% of respondents saying they had weird interviews.

‘Assuming that job-seeking students are not LGBT could lead to harassment,’ Mika Yakushi, head of ReBit, told the Japan Times.

ReBit found that almost 80% of respondents did not come out to potential employers. The survey also revealed 70.8% of LGBTI jobseekers were worried about discrimination and harassment.

‘Company officials in charge of personnel affairs should be aware that job-hunting students include a certain percentage of sexual minorities,’ ReBit said in a statement.

Almost 100% of survey respondents said they had not consulted employment services about gender issues and wouldn’t know where to start if they wanted to.

Yakushi said tertiary institutions had a responsibility to support LGBTI students.

‘Universities need to support LGBT students’ job hunting,’ Yakushi said

The survey results comes just a week after a viral video showed the challenges trans women face in Japan everyday in the workplace. LGBTI recruitment agency, Job Rainbow, released the video to raise awareness of the country’s transphobia.

You are as you are’ Job Rainbow’s introduction to the video reads. ‘It’s easy to say’.

‘But we know. even if you want to do that, the world is obstructing it’ it goes on to say.

It concludes by saying they will make a society where you can live as you are.

