The status of residence “Specified Skilled Worker” took effect on April 1, 2019 as a system to accept international talent with a certain level of expertise and skills. Behind this is the increasingly severe labor shortage in Japan. Even after initiatives to improve productivity and secure domestic talent, 18 industrial fields where securing personnel remains difficult are covered. Nursing care is one of them.

Changes in Population Structure Through 2040

(Source) Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, “Population Census” and “Population Estimates”; National Institute of Population and Social Security Research, “Population Projections for Japan (2017 Estimates)”

Looking at Japan’s demographics, the elderly population will increase rapidly toward 2025, when the entire so-called baby-boom generation reaches age 75 or older, and then the pace will moderate. Meanwhile, the working-age population, which has already begun to decline, will see that decline accelerate further after 2025.

The Specified Skilled Worker system was established in April 2019, and the Japanese government initially set a target of accepting up to 60,000 people over the five years from the start of the system in the nursing care industry, where labor shortages are severe.

However, only 343 people had been accepted in the nursing care industry, falling far short of the original plan by a wider margin than any of the other 18 fields (preliminary figures as of the end of September 2020).

To obtain the status of residence “Specified Skilled Worker (i),” one path is to complete Technical Intern Training (ii) in the nursing care field under the Technical Intern Training Program. Those who complete Technical Intern Training (ii) have about three years of practical experience at nursing care facilities (about five years for (iii)), so they will undoubtedly become ready-to-work talent.

However, acceptance of “foreign nursing care talent” under the Technical Intern Training Program only began in July 2018 or later, so transitions to the status of residence “Specified Skilled Worker (i)” inevitably could not start until July 2021 or later. Partly for this reason, acceptance under “Specified Skilled Worker” in the nursing care field remains far from the target of 60,000.

In addition, not only Japan but also other Asian countries such as Taiwan and South Korea face serious aging, so foreign nursing care talent is in demand and competition with other countries for talent is unavoidable.

Status of Specified Skilled Worker Exams in Japan

Eligibility was expanded for domestic exams from April 1, 2020 onward. Previously, those eligible to take exams in Japan were limited to “mid- to long-term residents and those who had previously stayed as mid- to long-term residents,” among others. This was changed so that foreign nationals residing with a status of residence are uniformly permitted to take the exams as “persons who hold a status of residence.”

As a result, even foreign nationals with no prior experience of staying in Japan as mid- to long-term residents became able to enter Japan under the “Temporary Visitor” status of residence for the purpose of taking the “Specified Skilled Worker” exam and sit for it.

Although there was also the impact of the coronavirus that began spreading worldwide in January 2020, in Japan the Nursing Care Skills Evaluation Exam and the Nursing Care Japanese Language Evaluation Exam required for accepting Specified Skilled Workers in the nursing care field were held every month. Most recently, results of exams held in Japan in February 2021 have been posted on the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare website. Among examinees who were foreign residents from seven countries—the Philippines, Cambodia, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, Mongolia, and Indonesia—1,304 of 1,902 candidates passed the Nursing Care Skills Evaluation Exam (pass rate 68.6%), and 1,438 of 1,699 candidates passed the Nursing Care Japanese Language Evaluation Exam (pass rate 84.8%).

Status of Specified Skilled Worker Exams Overseas

Countries where Specified Skilled Worker exams are conducted overseas are Thailand, Cambodia, the Philippines, Mongolia, Indonesia, and Nepal—seven countries (as of April 5, 2021). Myanmar is currently under temporary suspension.

As of April 2021, Specified Skilled Worker exams are still not being conducted in Vietnam. The previous year, Vietnam went into lockdown due to the coronavirus, making it impossible to hold exams. However, concrete developments regarding “Specified Skilled Worker” in Vietnam appear to have emerged this year, so attention and expectations for future trends are rising.

Summary

Under “Specified Skilled Worker,” the goal is to accept about 60,000 people over the five years from 2019, but as of June 2020 there were only 1,324 technical intern trainees in nursing care. Even taking into account the number who will transition from Technical Intern Training to “Specified Skilled Worker (i)” from July 2021 onward, this falls far short of the roughly 60,000 foreign nursing care workers the government is targeting by 2026. (Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan)

In addition, because nursing care work requires advanced communication, acquiring Japanese is essential. Accepting organizations must put in place an environment around foreign nursing care talent, including securing time for Japanese language learning for nursing care, conducting training to improve nursing care skills, and providing consultation support on concerns related to nursing care work and daily life.

Going forward, to win the competition with other countries for foreign nursing care talent, strong efforts will be required to improve the acceptance environment so that foreign nursing care talent can work and settle smoothly at nursing care workplaces in Japan.