Working in Japan as a foreigner: sectors that are hiring, salaries and visas (2026)

Japan has never employed so many foreigners: 2,571,037 at the end of October 2025, a record for the 13th year in a row. Half of all companies are short of permanent staff, and wages are rising. Here are the sectors that are hiring, salary benchmarks and the visas to know about.

A job market that favours candidates

• 2,571,037 foreign workers at the end of October 2025, up 11.7% in a year (Nippon.com / Jiji Press, citing the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare).
• 1.19 job offers per applicant in September 2026, with unemployment at 2.4% (Trading Economics). These are monthly figures that change over time.
• 50.6% of companies said they were short of permanent staff in April 2026 (TechNews, citing Teikoku Databank).

Sectors short of staff

Source: TechNews, citing Teikoku Databank.

Tech is hiring in particular. According to the Linux Foundation's "2026 State of Tech Talent Japan" report, Japanese companies expect net AI-related hiring of +54% in 2026, compared with a global average of +26%, and +46% for junior technical roles (Linux Foundation).

Salary benchmarks

• 2026 spring wage negotiations (shuntō): an average rise of 5.01%, or ¥16,400 a month, compared with 5.25% in 2025. In companies with fewer than 300 employees, the rise was 4.69% (Nippon.com / Jiji Press, Rengo results).
• Minimum wage in Tokyo: ¥1,280 an hour since 1 October 2026, the highest in Japan (Tokyo Labour Bureau). A useful benchmark for a spouse or a student looking for part-time work.

Which visa to work in Japan?

Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services. This is the status of many expatriate professionals: 475,790 people held it at the end of 2025 (Adnkronos / Jiji Press).

Specified Skilled Worker (tokutei ginō). 390,296 holders at the end of 2025, a record. It covers 16 sectors, including food service, elderly care, construction, hospitality and agriculture. Level 2, held by 7,955 people, allows workers to bring their family (Adnkronos / Jiji Press).

Working holiday visa for French citizens. French citizens aged 18 to 30 at the time of application can stay for one year at most, with no extension and no change of status. You need €4,500 in a bank account, or €3,100 with a return ticket, and you apply in person at the relevant consulate (Consulate-General of Japan in Marseille).

Places are limited to 1,800 a year for French citizens, and the quota was reached in each of the last two years, according to pvtistes.net (updated 28 September 2026). Appointments go quickly, so contact your consulate early. Other nationalities have their own working holiday agreements with Japan, with different conditions: check with the Japanese embassy in your country.

Starting your own company. The Business Manager visa changed profoundly in October 2025: read our guide to the Business Manager visa.

Residence fees rose sharply on 1 October 2026: see our guide to Japan visa renewal fees.

For employers: getting your new hires settled

Hiring from abroad also means organising the arrival: housing, city hall, bank, the children's school. Kizuna Relo handles the relocation of your employees to Tokyo, in French and in English, with home search, settling-in formalities and concierge support.

Just landed a job in Tokyo? Our guide to moving to Tokyo covers the first steps, and we can handle them with you.