FOREIGNERS: New JOB Fields in Japan
INCREASE IN JOB FIELDS FOR “SPECIFIC SKILLS” FOREIGNERS
Government of Japan: “We would like to increase the number of job fields in which foreigners with specific skills can work in Japan.”
The “Specified Skill” is a qualification for foreign nationals with specialized technical skills to work in Japan.
The “Tokutei Gijutsu Tokutei Gikyoku No.1” allows foreign nationals with specialized technical skills to work in Japan for up to five years. There are 12 categories of work, including nursing care, construction, and agriculture.
The Japanese government is considering increasing the number of job categories for specific skills (Specific Skills Level 1). The four fields are automobile transportation, railroad transportation, forestry, and lumber industry. These four industries are the most important because there are many companies that are in need of more workers.
The automobile transportation industry includes bus and cab drivers, and the railroad industry includes train drivers. The government states that for safety and security reasons, it is necessary to have higher Japanese language skills than those in other fields.
The government hopes to increase the number of foreign nationals working in the specified skill categories to 820,000 during the five-year period from April this year by increasing the number of job categories.
NHK NEWS
March 19, 2024
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/easy/k10014394471000/k10014394471000.html
