According to an article in the Asahi Shimbun(2024/12/30 ), many foreigners with highly skilled qualifications attended the “Joint Company Information Session for Specified Skilled Foreign Nationals” held in Tokyo on December 6th.
The following factors may be behind the desire of highly skilled professionals to work as specified skilled workers:
1.Economic and social factors in the home country
- Lack of employment opportunities: Even highly qualified and skilled people may have limited employment opportunities in their home countries. In particular, in developing countries and countries with stagnant economies, education and skills are often not valued enough.
- Wage gap: Because wages are low in their home countries, they may be able to earn much more by working as a specific skilled worker in Japan.
2.Expectations for the working environment in Japan
- Stable employment: Japan’s Specified Skilled Worker System provides for relatively stable employment contracts and clearly defined working conditions.
- High standard of living: Japan’s standard of living, infrastructure, and good public safety attract many highly skilled workers to work in Japan.
3.Limited career paths in your home country
- Career stagnation: In situations where advanced knowledge and skills are not being fully utilized in one’s home country, some people may want to broaden their careers by working abroad.
- Importance of international experience: Work experience in Japan can be an advantage in one’s career when one returns to one’s home country or works in another country.
4.Flexibility and convenience of the Specified Skills System
- Relatively clear requirements for Specified Skills: Under the Specified Skills System, you can obtain work eligibility by passing a skill test in a specific field and a Japanese language test, so the requirements are simpler than other highly skilled talent visas.
- Opportunities to acquire skills: By working in Japan under the Specified Skills System, you can acquire even higher levels of skills through practical experience.
5.Japan’s Labor Shortage and System Promotion
- Japan is facing a labor shortage due to a declining birthrate and aging population, and is actively accepting foreign workers through the Specified Skills System. As a result, the environment has been created in which highly skilled personnel can easily choose to use the Specified Skills System.
6.Personal preferences and family expectations
- Self-actualization: Some people want to pursue their personal goals and dreams through working in Japan.
- Supporting family: Others are motivated by the desire to send money they earn in Japan back to their families in their home countries and help support them.
The Specified Skilled Worker System is originally intended to target workers with “skills in a specific field” rather than “specialized or advanced work,” but due to these circumstances, there are cases where people with advanced skills and qualifications are choosing to work under this system.