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The Declining Number of Children in Japan and What Jobs Will Be Needed

HOME > The Declining Number of Children in Japan and What Jobs Will Be Needed

The Declining Number of Children in Japan and What Jobs Will Be Needed

Main Points:

・The Japanese Government is actively accepting foreign nationals to supplement the working population due to the declining birthrate and aging population.

・Specifically, there will be a great need for medical and nursing care jobs.

・Other types of jobs and fields that will especially need the help of foreign workers in Japan in the future are also covered.

Data from the Statistics Bureau of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (2021)

ジャパンボックス| 総務省 | JAPANBOX

What is the impact of the yearly decline in the number and percentage of children in Japan on foreigners living in Japan?

For this JAPANBOX article we used data released on May 5, 2021, by the Statistics Bureau of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

  • ・The number of children in Japan is 14.93 million, a decrease for 40 consecutive years.
  • ・The percentage of children in Japan is 11.9%, a decrease for 47 consecutive years.
  • ・The percentage of children in Japan is the lowest compared to other countries.

Changes in the percentage of population classified by age group

ジャパンボックス| 総務省統計局 年齢3区分別人口割合の推移 | JAPANBOX

Changes in the number and percentage of children

ジャパンボックス| こどもの減少 総務省統計局 | JAPANBOX

As shown above, the number of children in Japan is decreasing rapidly (see Graphs ). 

This article will consider how the changing demographics will impact Japan and affect the lives of foreign residents living there.

Impact of the decrease in the working population

What measures will the Japanese government take in the future to deal with the declining number of children? It has already started, but it is expected that more and more foreign nationals will be accepted into Japan to make up for the shortage of the working population in the country.

As of 2020, Japan has a declining birthrate and an aging society, with the number of children decreasing and the average life expectancy increasing.

The population itself has been declining since the peak of population growth in 2008. 

As a result, the ratio of the working population to the total population has been declining at a much faster pace than in other major countries, and the working population will continue to decline.

Against this backdrop of declining population and an aging society, the shortage of labor in many parts of the country is becoming more and more apparent in response to the increasing demand for labor. This is becoming a factor that is hindering economic growth in Japan.

Changes in the number of foreign workers

In 2009, the number of foreign workers in Japan was about 563,000, but by 2019, it will be about 1,659,000. 

The number of foreign workers in Japan has nearly tripled in the past 10 years. 

Japanese Government’s Policy on Accepting Foreign Workers

As Japan’s birthrate is expected to decline and the population to age further, new residence statuses of “Specified Technical Skill 1” and “Specified Technical Skill 2” were established in 2019 to supplement the shortage of human resources in Japan. The number of foreigners living in Japan is expected to increase along with the number of foreign workers.

With the declining birthrate and aging population, there is a great need for medical and nursing care jobs!

ジャパンボックス| Medical Care Work | JAPANBOX

What kind of jobs are most foreigners actually working in?

Let’s take a look at the current situation and future trends.

Advanced foreign human resources

This refers to foreigners who have been actively accepted since 2008 and are working in highly specialized jobs. They are expected to bring innovation to Japanese industry.

Wholesale and retail trade

At the moment, the wholesale and retail industry is the most common industry for foreigners.

The percentage of foreigners in the wholesale and retail industry is 17.0%. This figure is quite high in comparison to the 2.2% of the foreign population in Japan as a whole.

In terms of specific occupations, there are many places to work, such as duty-free stores at airports, electronics stores in downtown areas, and brand-name stores that cater to wealthy foreigners. There are also many sales clerks who deal with foreign tourists.

Convenience stores and supermarkets are also popular part-time jobs for international students. The reason for this is that there are many opportunities to learn Japanese through customer service, and the hurdles to employment are low. Also, if the store is open 24 hours, it is easy to work while attending school.

Accommodation and Restaurant Industry

The percentage of foreigners in the lodging and restaurant industry is 14.5%.

Foreigners are actively employed in the tourism industry, such as hotel receptionists and restaurants, where they are often in contact with foreign tourists.

In addition, the food and beverage industry suffers from a chronic shortage of human resources compared to other industries, and many izakaya (Japanese style pubs) and major restaurant chains can no longer survive without foreigners.

Great need for medical and nursing care jobs!

In the future, foreign workers are expected to play an active role in the medical and nursing care fields.

Until now, nurses from China, Indonesia, and the Philippines have been the main candidates, but in 2017, a new “nursing care visa” was added to the status of residence for foreigners.

Foreign students who graduated from nursing and welfare courses at vocational schools can now find employment as “care workers (kaigo-fukushi-shi)“.

The percentage of foreigners among those who have passed the test for the “Care Worker” qualification is still small, but considering the expectations for the future, this is one qualification that should be considered by those who are interested in working in the field of medical and nursing care in Japan.

In addition, from 2019 onwards, it has become possible to work in the nursing care field with a Special Skills visa. As shown above, there are more and more opportunities for foreign workers in the medical and nursing care fields.

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