You want to hire foreign nationals under Specified Skilled Worker status, but don’t you wonder what kind of people actually come under this program, and which countries they come from?

In this article, we take a detailed look at nationality and specified industry fields based on the Ministry of Justice’s Publication of the Number of Foreign Nationals Residing under Specified Skilled Worker Status. Use this article as a reference for which nationalities are being hired in which fields.

Source: Ministry of Justice

As of the end of September 2020, the number of foreign nationals who had obtained Specified Skilled Worker status was 8,789. Against the roughly 40,000 people the government planned to accept in the first year, the figure has not reached 6,000. Although the result fell far short of projections, nationals of any country other than the Islamic Republic of Iran can obtain the status by passing the skills exam and the Japanese language exam.

In practice, however, many Specified Skilled Workers are foreign nationals who transferred from Technical Intern Training. As a result, people from Asian countries such as Vietnam, China, Indonesia, and the Philippines are being accepted as Specified Skilled Workers.

Below, we introduce the fields with the highest hiring among the top three countries of foreign nationals who have obtained Specified Skilled Worker status, broken down by specified industry field.

Vietnam

Vietnamese nationals account for the largest share of foreign nationals who have obtained Specified Skilled Worker status. The total number is 5,341. By specified industry field, food and beverage manufacturing accounts for 2,403 people, agriculture for 573, and industrial machinery manufacturing for 459, among others. The construction field under Specified Skilled Worker (ii) has also accepted 482 people, so overall a large portion of the talent is Vietnamese.

China

After Vietnamese nationals, Chinese nationals have the next highest number who have obtained Specified Skilled Worker status. The total is 826—a sharp drop compared with Vietnam. By specified industry field, the numbers hired are food and beverage manufacturing at 189, agriculture at 155, and the fabricated materials industry at 91, in that order. Like Vietnamese nationals, Chinese nationals tend to be hired across various industry fields.

Indonesia

Indonesian nationals rank third in number after Vietnam and China. The total is 775—almost the same number as Chinese nationals working in Japan. By specified industry field, the numbers hired are food and beverage manufacturing at 150, agriculture at 145, and industrial machinery manufacturing at 138, in that order.

Other countries

Outside the top three countries, nationals of the Philippines, Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand, Nepal, and other countries are also being hired as foreign nationals who have obtained Specified Skilled Worker status. Among specified industry fields, hiring rates are high in food and beverage manufacturing, agriculture, and food service. Fields with markedly low hiring include aviation, accommodation, and automobile maintenance—factors cited include fewer exam sessions and environments that are not yet fully in place.

Conclusion

In this article, we provided a detailed explanation of what kind of foreign nationals pursue Specified Skilled Worker status.

Using data published by the Ministry of Justice, we broke down hiring numbers by specified industry field for Specified Skilled Workers from the top three countries. Many Specified Skilled Workers are working after transferring from technical intern trainee status.

Going forward, acceptance numbers are also expected to rise in fields that require passing a skills exam, and overall intake is likely to grow.

Because culture and work styles differ by nationality, please take time at hiring to reconsider how you will train and develop these workers.