This article introduces the advantages and disadvantages of using the Specified Skilled Worker system—implemented and put into operation from fiscal year 2019—in the nursing care field, where three other statuses of residence have already been established in addition to Specified Skilled Worker.

Why Four Statuses of Residence Have Been Established in the Nursing Care Field

In the nursing care field, four statuses of residence are currently available: Technical Intern Training, Specified Skilled Worker, Designated Activities (EPA), and Nursing Care. No other occupation offers this many statuses of residence for the same type of work, which shows how seriously the Japanese government views the labor shortage in nursing care.

Nursing care, a field that few Japanese people seek to work in, is likewise not a particularly popular occupation among foreign nationals.

Some foreign candidates say in interviews that they like nursing care work, but in reality many work in the field not because they love the job, but in order to work in Japan and earn money.

In addition, while many industries where technical intern trainees work (for example, manufacturing and agriculture) sometimes allow people to perform the job even with low or almost no Japanese language ability, nursing care is one of the fields that most strongly requires Japanese language proficiency.

For these reasons, the Japanese government has prepared four statuses of residence for nursing care. The Nursing Care status of residence even allows indefinite employment, making it attractive to foreign nationals with strong career ambitions and encouraging more people to apply.

Nursing care is also a field where substitution by robots and similar technology is more difficult than in other sectors, which is another major reason it must rely on international talent.

Reasons to Use the Specified Skilled Worker System

Among the four statuses of residence available in nursing care, we recommend using the Specified Skilled Worker system. Below is a brief overview of the other three statuses of residence.

Technical Intern Training

Under Technical Intern Training, foreign nationals can be employed in nursing care for a period of three to five years.

However, the procedures and requirements for employing foreign nationals under this status of residence are more difficult than for other nursing care statuses. In most cases the workers are coming to Japan for the first time; although they study Japanese before entry, their Japanese level is often still low.

The greatest advantage of this status of residence is that foreign nationals cannot change jobs while employed. This enables stable employment while they are with you. However, if the care facility is in a rural area or wages are low, there is a high likelihood that they will move to another facility with better conditions as soon as Technical Intern Training ends.

Designated Activities (EPA)

This system is operated based on Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) concluded between Japan and Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. Therefore, only nationals of these three countries can use this status of residence. The rules and requirements also differ by country, so skills and Japanese language levels vary depending on the nationality of the foreign national hired.

Nursing Care

The Nursing Care status of residence is the goal of all foreign nationals working in the nursing care field. Those who obtain it can renew their status of residence indefinitely and bring family members. Because obtaining a certified care worker (kaigo fukushishi) qualification is generally required, it is a high-difficulty status for foreign nationals.

What Is the Specified Skilled Worker System?

The Specified Skilled Worker system issues statuses of residence in 14 fields, including nursing care.

The purpose of introducing the Specified Skilled Worker system was to relieve industries facing labor shortages in Japan. The Japanese government has recognized these 14 fields as having particularly serious talent shortages and introduced the system so that foreign workers can be hired to address them. When the system was launched, acceptance targets for the following five years were announced for each field; nursing care had the highest target, set at 60,000 over five years.

Advantages of Using the Specified Skilled Worker System

〇 No new-facility waiting requirement

Even newly opened nursing care facilities can hire Specified Skilled Workers immediately. Under Technical Intern Training or Designated Activities (EPA), foreign nationals cannot be hired for three years after a facility opens, but under the Specified Skilled Worker system they can be hired right away even in nursing care.

〇 Larger quota for the number of foreign nationals who can be hired

Under the Specified Skilled Worker system, the number of foreign nationals who can be hired is capped at the number of full-time nursing care staff. By contrast, under the Technical Intern Training system quotas are set according to the number of full-time staff; for example, a care facility with 30 full-time staff can accept only three technical intern trainees.

〇 Work can begin immediately after entry or change of status of residence

Unlike Technical Intern Training, the Specified Skilled Worker system has no mandatory post-entry training courses, so workers can start work on the same day they join the company after obtaining the Specified Skilled Worker status of residence.

In addition, the costs of those mandatory courses under Technical Intern Training and living expenses during that period are borne by the accepting organization. From a cost perspective as well, hiring foreign nationals under the Specified Skilled Worker system helps keep unnecessary expenses down.

Disadvantages of Using the Specified Skilled Worker System

〇 Job changes are possible

Compared with technical intern trainees and foreign nationals under Designated Activities (EPA), job changes are easier, so there is a risk they will move to another care facility if better conditions are offered.

Even then, whether the other facility accepts foreign workers and the fact that the Specified Skilled Worker status of residence is recognized for a maximum of five years mean that the difficulty of changing jobs will also depend on the remaining period of stay.

〇 Wages are often higher than for technical intern trainees or Designated Activities (EPA) workers

For Specified Skilled Workers, it is often necessary to pay higher wages than for technical intern trainees or Designated Activities (EPA) workers in order to attract talent.

However, aside from wages, Specified Skilled Workers generally incur no other costs except the annual status of residence renewal fee. When hiring technical intern trainees, by contrast, many additional costs arise beyond wages, such as round-trip travel expenses, training course fees plus living expenses during that period, and skills test fees (at least twice). Monthly fees paid to supervising organizations are also generally higher than fees paid to Registered Support Organizations for Specified Skilled Workers. So even though wages are higher, total expenditures may end up similar.

※ Costs vary depending on the Registered Support Organization you partner with and other factors.

Summary

This article has introduced the advantages and disadvantages of using the Specified Skilled Worker system in the nursing care field. Nursing care is said to face one of the most serious labor shortages among Japanese industries and is difficult to replace with robots and similar technology. Even under the impact of COVID-19, job openings remain plentiful and the field is constantly short of staff.

At present, the number of foreign nationals accepted under the Specified Skilled Worker system is substantially below the original targets. In nursing care in particular, Specified Skilled Workers are expected to remain in high demand.

Nursing care facilities considering accepting Specified Skilled Workers need to prepare promptly to secure talented foreign nationals and partner with Registered Support Organizations that stay current on the continually updated Specified Skilled Worker system so they can operate the program effectively.