Career Design Center
Career Design Center (TSE 2410) operates Japan's specialized mid-career recruitment platforms — type, 女の転職type, and Direct type — plus recruitment agency, IT engineer dispatch, and Japan's largest engineer and women-focused job fairs, serving job seekers, IT engineers, women re-entering employment, and corporate employers.
- Company typePublic
- Founded1993
- HeadquartersTokyo, Japan
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Career Design Center does
Career Design Center Co., Ltd. (株式会社キャリアデザインセンター) is a Tokyo-headquartered, publicly listed (Tokyo Stock Exchange First Section, ticker 2410) operator of Japan's specialized mid-career recruitment and job-change platforms, founded in 1993. The company runs a multi-brand portfolio anchored by three job-search websites — "type" for career-oriented professionals in their 20s and 30s, "女の転職type" (onna no tenshoku type) for women seeking long-term regular employment, and "Direct type" for scout-based IT engineer recruiting — together with proprietary web magazines (エンジニアtype since 1997, Woman type, 20's type), a placement/recruitment agency (type転職エージェント), an IT-focused worker dispatch service (type IT派遣), and a new-graduate business (type就活) that the company announced it will terminate effective May 2026.
The platform is built on a web and mobile architecture (iOS and Android apps) with an AI-powered matching engine branded "キョリボ" (Karibo) that processes candidate skills, experience, preferences, and structured profile data to generate job recommendations across the type, 女の転職type, and Direct type sites. Distribution is heavily event-driven: the company operates Japan's largest IT/engineer job fair (type エンジニア転職フェア) and largest women-focused job event (女の転職typeイベント), drawing 100+ major employers per event including NTT Data, Canon, Toyota Motor East Japan, Yamaha Motor, Hitachi Construction Machinery, Microsoft Japan, and NEC. The portfolio is supplemented by content channels including the 聴くエンジニアtype podcast series, an audio product launched November 2022.
Career Design Center's business model spans B2B media advertising (job posting fees on type and woman-type), transaction-fee placement revenue through the recruitment agency and event sponsorship, managed-service revenue from IT engineer dispatch (margin between engineer compensation and client billing), and — until its announced wind-down — new-graduate services. The customer base is dual-sided: free-to-use job seeker segments (mid-career professionals, women re-entering long-term employment, IT engineers) and paying corporate employers. As of September 2025, headcount stood at 768, down from 835 a year earlier, reflecting the deliberate scaling back of the new graduate business; FY2025 revenue was approximately ¥126.1B with operating income of ~¥10.7B.
Career Design Center firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Career Design Center
- Legal name
- 株式会社キャリアデザインセンター
- Website
- https://cdc.type.jp
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 1993
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- Career Design Center (TSE 2410) operates Japan's specialized mid-career recruitment platforms — type, 女の転職type, and Direct type — plus recruitment agency, IT engineer dispatch, and Japan's largest engineer and women-focused job fairs, serving job seekers, IT engineers, women re-entering employment, and corporate employers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Career Design Center industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Recruitment Services
- NAICS
- Employment Placement Agencies (561311)
- SIC
- Services-Employment Agencies (7361)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Professional & Technical Direct Hire (IT, Engineering, Finance, Healthcare) (BPACAFAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Administrative, Clerical & Office Support Direct Hire (BPACAFAF), Career Transition, Re-entry & Employability Support (Mid-career, Returnships) (EDAAAKAN), Interviewing & Selection Skills (Behavioral, Technical, Assessment Centers) (EDAAAKAD)
Keywords
Where Career Design Center is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tokyo
- HQ country
- Japan
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices2 records
Markets served
Career Design Center business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Media Advertising (Job Posting Fees): Charges companies for posting job listings on type, woman-type, and related platforms. Revenue based on job posting volume and duration. Core B2B revenue stream supporting job seeker acquisition.
- Human Resources Introduction Services: Fee-based recruitment agency services matching job seekers with companies. Earns placement fees from hiring companies upon successful placement. Operates under government license (13-ユ-040429).
- IT Worker Dispatch Services: Dispatch of IT engineers to client companies. Revenue generated from margin between engineer compensation and client billing rates. Operates as 'type IT派遣' under government license (派13-315344). Also offers permanent-type IT dispatch model.
- New Graduate Services: Job fairs, media advertising, and placement services for new graduates. Includes 'type就活' website/magazine and 'type就活エージェント' services.
- Event Sponsorship and Exhibition Fees: Revenue from company participation fees at job fairs like 'type エンジニア転職フェア' and '女の転職typeイベント'. Companies pay for booth space and event sponsorship.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Job posting services for companies (web and app) |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Recruitment agency placement fees |
| Professional services/ project-based | Monthly | IT dispatch services |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
Career Design Center product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Career Design Center operates a portfolio of online job search platforms (type, 女の転職type, Direct type) targeting mid-career professionals, IT engineers, and women seeking long-term regular employment in Japan. The company complements these platforms with recruitment agency services (type転職エージェント), IT engineer dispatch staffing (typeIT派遣), large-scale job fairs (type エンジニア転職フェア, 女の転職typeイベント), and new graduate recruitment support (type就活, type就活エージェント). Revenue is generated primarily from B2B sources—corporate clients pay for job postings, successful placement fees, and IT engineer dispatch billing—while job seekers access the platforms free of charge.
Product overview
Career Design Center operates a multi-brand job search and recruitment platform portfolio comprising: three core job search websites (type for career-oriented professionals/engineers, 女の転職type for women seeking long-term regular employment, Direct type for IT engineer scout-based job changes); two job fair brands (type エンジニア転職フェア as one of Japan's largest IT engineer fairs, 女の転職typeイベント as one of Japan's largest women-focused fairs); three placement/staffing services (type転職エージェント recruitment agency, type IT派遣 IT-focused worker dispatch, type就活/type就活エージェント for new graduates); and three web magazines (エンジニアtype since 1997, Woman type, 20's type). The type brand also offers a LINE stamp with its image character Audrey, and the company recently launched the audio content series 聴くエンジニアtype. The portfolio is integrated through shared AI-powered matching technology across the job search sites.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- エンジニアtype: IT・Web・ハード系エンジニアを対象とした技術者のキャリアを考えるWebマガジン
- Woman type
- 20's type
Products and services
- type (タイプ) Career job search website targeting ambitious 20s-30s professionals and engineers. Features AI-powered job recommendation and matching, 100% independently researched job listings, casual interview request functionality, and extensive search filters. IT/Web industry-focused with listings from major corporations to ventures.
- 女の転職type (onna no tenshoku type) Job search platform for women seeking long-term regular employee positions. Offers 80%+ regular employee job postings across industries including sales, clerical, service, and IT engineering. Features detailed search filters (remote work, low overtime, work-life balance, childcare support) and personalized matching.
- Direct type (ダイレクトタイプ) Scout-based job change service for IT engineers. Companies directly approach registered candidates based on their skills and preferences. Features engineer-customized search fields, detailed registration options for skills and preferred job types, and an iOS app with resume creation tools.
- type エンジニア転職フェア Japan-largest scale IT and manufacturing engineer job fair, held both in-person (Tokyo Dome City, Tokyo International Forum) and online. Features company booths, casual interview sessions, special seminars by industry leaders, and exclusive selection processes. Major participants include Toyota Motor East Japan, NTT Data, Canon, Yamaha Motor, and 100+ other companies.
- 女の転職typeイベント Japan-largest female-focused job fair event series. Connects women job seekers with companies offering long-term regular employment. Features company presentations, individual consultations, and networking opportunities.
- type転職エージェント (type Career Agent)
Quantifiable outcome
- 女の転職type ranked #1 in Oricon Customer Satisfaction Survey 2022 (Women Job Site category)
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Career Design Center
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Career Design Center technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability3 records
Feature4 records
Career Design Center partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- SHE WORKS (シーワークス)coreCareer Design Center partnered with SHE WORKS to enable seamless job placement from reskilling to employment. Female job seekers completing reskilling programs on SHE WORKS platform gain access to approximately 80% full-time job listings on 女の転職type. The partnership aims to support women's long-term career development from learning to employment.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Career Design Center competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- LinkedIn: Global professional network with growing Japan presence for mid-career and executive job matching. Competes with CDC's type and Direct type for employer recruitment spend targeting experienced IT and corporate professionals.
- Recruit Holdings: Japan's largest HR and marketing services conglomerate, parent of Indeed, Rikunabi, and many recruitment agencies. A broad incumbent whose HR Media and HR Technology segments encompass CDC's core job-board and agency offerings.
- Indeed (Recruit Holdings): Operated by Recruit Holdings, Indeed is the dominant global job aggregator with strong Japanese market share. Provides the principal alternative channel for employers' posting budgets versus CDC's owned-and-operated type media properties.
Direct peers
- Wantedly: Japan-focused talent-matching platform popular with engineers, startups, and creative professionals. Competes directly with CDC's Direct type and engineer-job-fair offerings in the IT engineer recruitment segment.
- BizReach: Operates one of Japan's leading mid-career professional job platforms (BizReach) with a high-end recruiter database, directly competing with CDC's type and type転職エージェント services for the same IT, manufacturing, and corporate employer clients.
- Mynavi Corporation: One of Japan's largest recruitment media and HR services companies, operating job boards, new-graduate magazines, and placement agencies. Competes across both new-graduate and mid-career segments that CDC targets with type就活 and type.
- en Japan: Japanese HR services company operating multiple job boards (en-japan, en world, etc.) and recruitment agency services. Closely overlaps CDC's mid-career job-board + agency model, including women-focused and English-bilingual verticals.
- JAC Recruitment: Japan-headquartered specialist recruitment agency focused on mid-career and senior professionals across technology, manufacturing, and consumer industries. Closely comparable to CDC's type転職エージェント service in target customer and fee model.
Regional players
- Robert Walters Japan: UK-headquartered professional recruitment firm with established Japan operations serving mid-career and senior candidates in IT, finance, and engineering. Comparable fee-based agency model and target overlap with CDC's mid-career recruitment agency.
- Hays Japan: Global specialist recruiter with Japan offices focused on professional and technical permanent and contract placements. Competes for the same IT engineer and corporate mid-career talent pools as CDC's type and Direct type.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Career Design Center social profiles
Digital presenceCareer Design Center compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Career Design Center financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Career Design Center leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Career Design Center funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Career Design Center M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Career Design Center
What does Career Design Center do?
Career Design Center operates a portfolio of online job search platforms (type, 女の転職type, Direct type) targeting mid-career professionals, IT engineers, and women seeking long-term regular employment in Japan. The company complements these platforms with recruitment agency services (type転職エージェント), IT engineer dispatch staffing (typeIT派遣), large-scale job fairs (type エンジニア転職フェア, 女の転職typeイベント), and new graduate recruitment support (type就活, type就活エージェント). Revenue is generated primarily from B2B sources—corporate clients pay for job postings, successful placement fees, and IT engineer dispatch billing—while job seekers access the platforms free of charge.
Is Career Design Center a public or private company?
Career Design Center is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was Career Design Center founded?
Career Design Center was founded in 1993. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Career Design Center based?
Career Design Center is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, in the Asia region.
How does Career Design Center make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Media Advertising (Job Posting Fees) is the primary driver. The others are human Resources Introduction Services, IT Worker Dispatch Services, new Graduate Services and event Sponsorship and Exhibition Fees.
Who are Career Design Center's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are LinkedIn, Recruit Holdings and Indeed (Recruit Holdings). Direct peers are Wantedly, BizReach, Mynavi Corporation, en Japan and JAC Recruitment. Regional players are Robert Walters Japan and Hays Japan.
Does Career Design Center have an API?
No public API is recorded for Career Design Center.
What industry is Career Design Center in?
Career Design Center's product category is Online Recruitment Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACAFAC, Professional & Technical Direct Hire (IT, Engineering, Finance, Healthcare), with a secondary code of BPACAFAF, Administrative, Clerical & Office Support Direct Hire. Its NAICS code is 561311 and its SIC code is 7361.