World of HR: Some employers in Japan are playing matchmaker by participating in a corporate dating app

As the birth rate in Japan continues to fall, the government is encouraging residents to get busy creating the next generation of workers. Some employers are getting in on the “action” as well with a new benefit: dating!

Where in the world? Japan’s government has pushed employers to offer more family-friendly work benefits, from 52 weeks of paternity leave to four-day workweeks, to combat the country’s steadily declining birth rate.

But since many workers need the opportunity to find a partner before they can build a family, some employers in Japan are offering employees access to a corporate dating app, according to the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

The app, called Aill goen, launched in 2021 to help workers at vetted, participating companies connect during the Covid-19 pandemic. It now claims to have more than 1,500 participating employers who can use the app to meet potential mates. Picture Bumble meets LinkedIn.

“Single employees don’t say anything, but they are under strain. I was thinking about whether we could reward such employees,” Yuichiro Kayano, general manager of career design at credit card company Orient Corp., told news outlet Asahi Shimbun of his company’s decision to participate in Aill goen.

At least 40% of Orient Corp.’s more than 5,400 full-time employees are single. Since the company began offering the app to employees last April, 176 have taken advantage of the benefit—as of November, 17 have reportedly started relationships.

“If the company of the person they meet has robust child care leave, it becomes easier to continue their career later on,” Kayano said. “It would be good if this eliminates people unwillingly quitting the company due to marriage.”

Toyota introduced Aill goen last July as part of its work-life balance benefits package. The company told SCMP it believes employees will be better workers if they have fulfilling private lives.

Satellite view. Japan isn’t the only country feeling the love. In 2025, Hong Kong and Thailand made headlines when some companies began offering “Tinder leave”—time off to go on dates. Some employers, like marketing firm Whiteline Group, even pay for employees’ Tinder premium profiles, the New York Post reported.

Across the Pacific in the US, dating apps are taking a less romantic turn. One in three Americans have used a dating app to find a job in a market that many feel is impersonal, according to a November Resume Builder survey.

Dating apps can help create real connections in an era filled with bots and “transactional” networking platforms, the Independent reported. And a lucky 37% of respondents said they came away with a job, and 38% had a physical relationship.

Can you smell that? Maybe love is still in the air.