Number of foreign skilled workers in Japan rises to record level

The number of foreigners working in Japan under the skilled trades program rose to 444,256 in June. Bloomberg reported this.

The achieved result was a record one and was 13.8 percent higher than the data at the end of December last year. However, although the total number of skilled workers reached a new high, the growth rate continues to slow compared with 16.1 and 18.2 percent in the same periods of the previous two years.

It is noted that the program in question allows foreign citizens working in certain sectors, such as construction or agriculture, to reside in Japan. It was introduced in 2019 as a way to address labor shortages in struggling sectors by attracting workers. Most people come from Vietnam, Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines and China.

By the end of 2025, the number of foreign nationals living in Japan exceeded four million for the first time, according to the Ministry of Justice.