Preliminary Report: Your Company Will Be Impacted! The Rapidly Growing Foreign Workforce and the Path to Permanent Residence in Japan

The number of foreign workers in Japan continues to reach record highs. Among these, the "Specified Technical Skills" residence status is the one that is growing most vigorously. This system is not merely a manpower shortage measure; it is fundamentally changing the nature of Japanese society and the careers of foreign nationals.

Reasons for the rapid increase in the number of "specified skills": V-shaped recovery after the Corona disaster and the establishment of the system

According to statistics from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the number of foreign workers has been increasing rapidly in recent years, especially in the "professional and technical field status of residence.is driving the overall increase. At the core of the increase in this sector is the 2019 creation of theSpecific Skills.

The number of foreign nationals residing in Japan with specified skills continues to grow at an annual rate of approximately 50% and is now an integral part of the Japanese labor market.

status of residence (in Japan)	Major industries with significant increases	feature
specific skill	Nursing care, manufacturing, construction, food service	Secures immediate employment in areas where manpower is in short supply. No educational background requirement.
Technical/Humanities/International Services	IT and information services, manufacturing (professional)	Highly qualified personnel with specialized knowledge and skills. Requires a university degree or other educational background.

especiallymanufacturing industry, ,Medical and welfare, ,construction industryIn key industries where it is difficult to secure domestic human resources, such as the following, the success of specified skilled foreigners is the key to business continuity.

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The "Road to Permanent Residence" has been opened! The fields covered by Specified Technical Skill No. 2 have been greatly expanded.

The most significant change in the specific skills system,The fields covered by the "Specified Technical Skills No. 2" program have been greatly expanded.This is what we have done. This will have an immeasurable impact on the careers of foreign personnel and on the human resource strategies of companies.

Critical Differences between Specified Skills No. 1 and No. 2

(data) item	Specified Skills 1	Specified Skills No. 2
period of stay	Up to 5 years in total	No upper limit(Permanent employment available)
bringing one's family along (to a warship, etc.)	Basically not allowed	possible(spouse/children)
carrier	Immediate results with certain skills	Skilled and skilled leadership personnel
prospects	It is one of the requirements for a permanent residence permit.	Subject of permanent residence permit application

Previously, only two sectors were covered by No. 2: construction and shipbuilding/marine industry, but after June 2023,Agriculture, lodging, food and beverage manufacturing, food serviceThe program has been expanded to most of the specified skill fields (excluding the nursing care field), including the following. This has made it realistic for many foreign workers to establish a long-term basis of life in Japan and aim for "permanent residence".

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3.[Latest Trends] Logistics, transportation, nursing care...specific skills that support "infrastructure for labor shortages

The fields covered by the specified skills continue to expand as the labor shortage worsens.

Recent Institutional Changes and Considerations

• Areas added in 2024: motor vehicle transport industry, ,railroad, ,forestry, **woodworking industryThe ban on foreign nationals working in the transportation sector has been lifted. In particular, the ban on foreigners working in the transportation field, such as bus and cab drivers, has been lifted, and they are expected to support Japan's logistics and transportation infrastructure.
• Areas under consideration for addition in 2025: Warehousing (logistics), ,Waste Disposal (Resource Recycling), ,Linen supplyThe system is being prepared to start operating around 2027. These are the behind-the-scenes infrastructures that support our daily lives, and preparations are underway with the aim of putting the system into operation around 2027.
• Expansion of business scope: In the nursing care fieldHome-Visit Nursing Care Serviceis being lifted, and a wider range of work is now possible in existing fields.