An estimated 890,000 new recruits at companies, public offices and other organizations marked their first day at work on Monday, the first business day of the new fiscal year.

Job availability for graduates has continued to improve over the past several years, with 90.6 percent of those slated to graduate from universities before April having found jobs as of Feb. 1, while 94 percent of job-seeking high school seniors had found jobs as of the end of January, according to the labor ministry.

Labor shortages are particularly pronounced in the construction and distribution industries.