Most-in demand jobs in Japan are those occupations that have higher vacancies and applicants. Such jobs are subject to changes as the industry and job market varies each year. If you’re heading to Japan or already in the country, this info can help you decide what kind of career to go for.

Automotive Technician

Automotive technician jobs in Japan are numerous and they work in car factories and auto maintenance depots. Japan is one of the countries with many car manufacturing companies such as Toyota, Mitsubishi, Mazda, Subaru, Nissan, Honda etc. 

An automotive technician job is to keep the vehicle in good condition and repair any engine and parts trouble. The duties include:

• Keep vehicle records such as inventory stock, receipts and services.

• Comply with government regulations and standards on safety and combustion.

• Explain parts and problems to customers.

• Perform maintenance such as oil change, tire pressure and rotation; and brakes.

• Identify problems using diagnostic tools.

• Repair air-conditioning systems.

Skills Profile:

Soft skills

• Customer-service

• Eye for detail

• Leadership 

• Organizing

• Perseverance

• Problem-solving

• Teamwork

Hard skills

• Use of tools used for removing or placing spare parts and diagnostics such as current/voltmeters, pullers, pressure indicators, pneumatic tools, and speciality wrenches

• Use of computer software used for diagnostics, info retrieval, and client info

• Knowledge of vehicle parts and diagrams

Caregiver

Caregivers provide care for people who are elderly or physically handicapped. They work in hospitals, home for the aged or within the houses of the client. Due to the increasing elderly population in Japan, the demand for caregivers soared and this statistical figure has been reported throughout media sources. The Japan Times reported that the country is preparing to accept more caregivers from three ASEAN countries - Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam. Likewise, there’s a surge in students of nursing care.

What will be your daily errands

• Monitor the patient’s vital signs such as temperature, breathing rate, heartbeat and blood pressure.

• Assist the patients in their daily needs such as physical assistance when going out of bed, urinating, defecating, transferring to a  wheelchair, eating and breathing fresh air outdoors.

• Provide emotional support such as encouragement and empathizing with the patient at all times.

• Keep the patient’s financial record.

• Answer the telephone on the behest of the patient.

• Record the patient’s health info such as urination, bowel movements, food intake and weight.

• Remind the patient to take medicine and supplements prescribed by the dietician and doctor.

Skills Profile:

Soft skills

• Self-control

• Patience

• Verbal communication (Japanese and English ) For Japanese an N4 proficiency test.

• Empathy and compassion

• Time management

• Initiative

• Physical strength

• Problem-solving

Hard skills

• Monitoring of temperature, respiration, and blood pressure

• Preparing nutritious meals

• Administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation (the process of compressing chest to restore breathing and blood circulation)

• Knowledge of caregiver protocols

• Certification in Caregiving (subject to your country’s professional certification)

• Driving skills during an emergency situation

Construction Worker (Plumber)

Japan has a labour shortage in the construction industry and to resolve that they opened their doors to foreign workers. This job makes up occupations such as:

• Plumber

• Equipment operator

• Crane operator

• Carpenter

• Project engineer (Civil, Electrical)

• Foremen

• Construction labourer

• Rigger

• Awareness of cultural diversity

Skills Profile:

Soft skills

• Customer-skills

• Decision-making

• Leadership

• Memory 

• Negotiation

• Teamwork

Hard skills. These are specific to each type of construction worker. For example, for plumbers:

• Application of caulk, sealants and adhesives

• Installing pipes for steam, gas and water

• Basic math for estimating costs and installations

• Reading schematics and blueprints

English Teacher

Few Japanese are fluent in English and so to answer the need for this world’s lingua franca, several schools and language teaching companies offered jobs for English teachers. English teachers aim to train Japanese students to gain working skills for personal and work environments.

Skills Profile:

Soft skills

• Teamwork

• Empathy

• Leadership

• Sense of humour

Hard skills

• Ability to speak in near or native level English

• Gamification of lessons

• Teaching methods

• Use of teaching tools (projector, slides)

• MS PowerPoint, Google slides

• Teaching English as a foreign language certification (can be optional)

Hospitality (Housekeeper)

Hospitality industry refers to resorts, hotels, night clubs and all businesses that serve food, drinks and lounging.  According to PRNewswire, an online publisher of press releases, Japan expects a rise of the hotel market valued at 26.8 Billion at the end of the year 2025. Several projects such as Tokyo Olympics (2020) and the Osaka-Kansai World Expo (2025), will increase the demand for hospitality jobs - hotel staff, housekeeper, front desk agent, hotel manager, reservations agent, server, office coordinator, chef etc.

Housekeeping staff is among the most in-demand jobs. This position involves: 

• Cleaning of rooms, windows, flat surfaces, hallways, offices, appliances, stoves, sinks, toilets and shelves

• Replacing bedsheets and arrange pillows

• Use a vacuum cleaner, mops, brooms and sanitizing chemicals

• Ironing of clothes and bedsheets

Skills Profile:

Soft skills

• Working under pressure

• Trustworthiness

• Eye for detail

• Orderly

Hard skills

• Laundry

• Ironing

• Hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP)

• Proper usage of cleaning chemicals

• Cleaning of doors, cabinet and other wall surfaces

IT Professional (Front-end Web Developer)

The IT profession is broad and makes up a number of jobs in website building, database, networking, mobile app building, search engine and e-commerce. The country is home to its large ICT companies such as NTT, Nomura Research Institute, Unisys, Sony, Softbank, Mitsubishi Electric, Canon, Hitachi and NTT Data Corporation. Japan is eyeing to solve the shortage of IT talents by opening the doors to foreign IT workers.  

Front-end web developers’ tasks include:

• Use front-end programming languages (HTML, CSS, Javascript), graphical tools to strike balance between art and functionality of the website. Their overall hard skills depend on the complexity of the website they are working on. If such a website is complex or highly customized, they may use all of their front-end programming and art skills to make a website. 

• Test website to ensure that it is up and running and bug-free.

• Maintain and improve the website.

Skills Profile:

Soft skills

• An eye for detail or meticulous mindset

• Teamwork

• Oral and writing skills

• Problem-solving

Hard skills

• HTML

• CSS

• CSS preprocessors (Syntactically Awesome Stylesheets - SASS, Leaner Style Sheets - LESS)

• CSS Framework (Bootstrap, Foundation, Bulma, Ulkit, Semantic UI)

• Content management system (Wordpress, Joomla, Drupal)

• Graphic design tools (Photoshop, Illustrator)

• Javascript

• Javascript framework (Angular, Ember, React)

• Version control system (Github)

Other jobs for this role include:

• Data Engineer - Supports data infrastructures and business applications.

• SEO specialist - Increase the page rank and visibility of the website.

• UX - Makes the website/application design useful and desirable to users.

• UI Designer - Makes the graphical layout of the website or an application.

Warehouse Worker

Photo by Mark Hunter and licensed under Creative Commons

Logistics or supply chain are the main-backbone of e-commerce. The increase in e-commerce or in other words 'online shopping', is a boon for logistics and jobs. Put simply, logistics is the process of obtaining, storing and shipping products. Japan has logistics companies that deliver goods from clothing to smartphones. E-commerce companies in Japan include Rakuten, Uniqlo, Zozotown, and US-based Amazon.jp and Yahoo.

One of the jobs in logistics is the warehouse worker who is tasked to retrieve and store goods and supplies in a warehouse. The daily tasks of warehouseman include:

• Receive materials and stocks.

• Check and sign invoices.

• Drive a forklift to move goods.

• Use SAP Extended Warehouse Management or JD Edwards to control inventory.

• Report discrepancies in received goods.

• Follow HACCP or hygiene standards.

Skills profile:

Soft skills

• Teamwork

• Oral and written communication

• Decision making

• Problem-solving

Hard skills

• Experience in a forklift.

• Stocking standards

• Receiving and shipping

• Warehouse safety protocols

• HACCP (especially for food and beverage warehouse)

• Standard operating procedures

• Software used in the supply chains such as SAP Extended Warehouse Management or JD Edwards
   

Welder

Tied to the construction boom in Japan is the rise in demand for welders. Welders are responsible for the repair of building structures and metal works. They work in a variety of companies dealing with aerospace, shipbuilding, manufacturing, subaquatic structures, offshore oil exploration, assembly lines and steel industries. Welders make up two types - unskilled welders and skilled welders. Unskilled welders perform repetitive tasks, assembly robots and may have no or little knowledge of metal properties, settings, wires and gas types. Skilled welders know the various types of metal, have formal education and training in advanced welding techniques.

The welder’s daily tasks include:

• Analyze and understand designs and blueprints.

• Weld different metal pieces in various positions that conform to design.

• Understand the qualities and properties of different metal types.

• Determine the necessary techniques and tools for welding.

• Aligning, positioning and securing metal that conforms to design before welding.

• Ignite the correct torch type.

• Use special machines and tools to cut, hold, bend or modify different metal types into the desired position, size and shape for welding.

• Follow safety procedures such as using a protective helmet, suit, gloves and mask for fumes.

Skills Profile:

Soft skills

• Teamwork

• Oral and written communication.

• Problem-solving

• Eye-detail

• Time management

• Trustworthiness

Hard skills

• Knowledge of various metal types

• Different welding techniques (arc welding, gas welding)

• Safe welding protocols

• Math skills to figure out lengths, volume, angles, temperature alterations and shapes

• Use of robotic welding equipment

• Different welding positions (curved, flat, vertical, overhead etc)

• Use of welding tools such as soldering iron, rod (arc welding), butt weld/fillet gauges, grinders and brazing torch

• Inventory of welding supplies and tools

• Certifications that conforms to Japanese welding standards such as Semi-automatic welding (JIS Z 3841, WES 8241), Petroleum Industry (JPI-&Z-31, WES 8102). For more info about these certifications visit JWES

• Physical endurance

• Metallurgy

• Manual dexterity