The acceptance system for Specified Skilled Worker foreign nationals in the construction field began in April 2019 (Heisei 31), and Specified Skilled Worker (i) assessment exams are currently conducted for the 18 job categories approved for acceptance.

To obtain the Specified Skilled Worker status of residence, candidates must pass a Japanese language test as well as a Specified Skilled Worker assessment exam. Skills exams are held on different dates and at different locations depending on the job category and industry.

However, in the construction field, most cases involve technical intern trainees who have completed Technical Intern Training (ii) transitioning directly to Specified Skilled Worker (i), and even after the Specified Skilled Worker system began, it remained an unpopular industry.

The construction industry constantly struggles with labor shortages, for reasons that include the following.

・Applicants do not come forward due to concerns about harsh working conditions

Although working conditions have improved with recent work-style reforms, images such as “no established two-day weekends,” “long hours of physically demanding labor,” and “unwillingness to work in life-threatening hazardous site environments” mean that applicants are not coming forward in the first place.

・Traditional management styles do not fit, and talent does not stay

In an industry where about 30% of workers are said to be 55 or older, traditional training methods such as “learn by watching” and “young workers should arrive early and clean” are often practiced, making it difficult for younger workers to stay.

Against this backdrop, the first Specified Skilled Worker (i) assessment exams in the construction field were held both in Japan and overseas.

Domestic Implementation Status of Specified Skilled Worker Exams

Regarding the Specified Skilled Worker (i) assessment exams required to work in Japan as a Specified Skilled Worker foreign national in the construction field, exams in the “Rebar Jointing” and “Earthwork” categories were held in Japan on Friday, August 28, 2020, and Tuesday, September 15, 2020, respectively. These were the first Specified Skilled Worker (i) assessment exams in the construction field.

In addition, a “Tunnel Propulsion” exam was held in Tokyo on December 4, 2020, and a skills exam for “Telecommunications” was held in Tokyo on the 15th.

Overseas Implementation Status of Specified Skilled Worker Exams

The first Specified Skilled Worker (i) assessment exam in the Philippines was scheduled for March 2020, but was postponed due to the impact of COVID-19.

Amid this, the first Specified Skilled Worker (i) assessment exam was held on March 23, 2021, in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. That day covered the “Rebar Construction” job category in the construction field, and 24 people took the exam. Going forward, exams in other countries and regions are also anticipated.

According to the Immigration Services Agency of Japan, approximately 16,000 foreign nationals were residing in Japan under Specified Skilled Worker status as of the end of December 2020. By nationality, Vietnam accounted for 60% of the total, but in reality most were transitions from those who had completed Technical Intern Training (ii) in Japan.

The Specified Skilled Worker system was established in April 2019, and the Japanese government initially set a target of accepting up to 40,000 people over five years from the start of the system for the construction industry, where labor shortages are severe. However, operational coordination with Vietnam took time, and exam implementation was significantly delayed. In July 2019, Vietnam and Japan finally exchanged a memorandum of understanding on the Specified Skilled Worker system and began discussions on system design.

However, negotiations with Vietnam—the country from which the greatest number of foreign workers was expected—were delayed, and combined with the COVID-19 pandemic, only 642 people had been accepted in construction, falling far short of the original plan (preliminary figures as of the end of September 2020).

Summary

Of the 24 people who took the Specified Skilled Worker exam in Vietnam on March 23, 2021, successful candidates were scheduled to begin hiring procedures with Japanese recruiting companies as early as July and to start working in Japan within the year.

However, on March 18, 2021, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued new border control guidance. The temporary suspension of the “Business Track” and “Residence Track,” which had initially been said to continue until the state of emergency was lifted, was extended for the time being.

The suspended measures include the “Business Track,” the “Residence Track,” new entry from all countries and regions, and special measures upon return/re-entry from short-term business trips to all countries and regions.

Currently, those who can enter Japan as having “exceptional circumstances” are quite limited: “foreign nationals re-entering with re-entry permission or deemed re-entry permission,” and “those recognized as having exceptional circumstances based on individual circumstances, such as when there are particular humanitarian considerations.”

With the number of regions where COVID-19 variants are spreading also increasing recently, entry under the Specified Skilled Worker (i) status of residence is likely still some time away.