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Jobs Available under Specified Skilled Worker

Updated：2026/5/10

This page summarizes the overall picture of the 16 fields where you can work under SSW. Compare job duties, required Japanese, salary data, and work styles to find a field that suits you.

The 16 SSW Fields

Specified Skilled Worker is a residence status for foreign nationals with certain skills and Japanese language ability to work in fields with serious labor shortages in Japan. The system and target fields may be reviewed, so also check official information.

List of fields
  • Nursing Care - Work that supports the daily lives of elderly people and others. Japanese for conversation and assistance is important.
  • Building Cleaning - Work that cleans buildings and manages hygiene. Understanding cleaning tools and work procedures is required.
  • Industrial Product Manufacturing - Work in factories, such as metal processing, assembly, inspection, and sewing.
  • Construction - Work related to civil engineering, building construction, and lifeline equipment. Safety checks are important.
  • Shipbuilding and Marine Industry - Work building ships and working with ship machinery and ship electrical/electronic equipment.
  • Automobile Maintenance - Work that inspects, maintains, and repairs cars.
  • Aviation - Work related to airport ground handling and aircraft maintenance.
  • Accommodation - Work at hotels and ryokan inns, such as front desk, customer service, and restaurant service.
  • Automobile Transportation Business - Work related to transport by bus, taxi, truck, and other vehicles.
  • Railway - Work related to tracks, electrical equipment, rolling stock, stations, and transport.
  • Agriculture - Work related to crop farming and livestock farming. Work styles change depending on the season and work location.
  • Fisheries - Work related to fisheries and aquaculture. Weather and early morning work can affect the job.
  • Food and Beverage Manufacturing - Work in factories that make food and drinks. Food hygiene is important.
  • Food Service Industry - Work in restaurants and similar places, including cooking, customer service, and store management.
  • Forestry - Work growing trees in forests and cutting and transporting timber.
  • Timber Industry - Work processing wood into building materials and products.
Points to Compare When Choosing a Job
  • Jobs with many conversations: nursing care, accommodation, food service, railway transport staff, taxi, and similar jobs
  • Jobs with much physical work or outdoor work: construction, agriculture, fishery, forestry, and similar jobs
  • Jobs with many factory or machine tasks: industrial product manufacturing, food and beverage manufacturing, wood industry, automobile repair and maintenance, and similar jobs
  • Jobs where night shifts and shift work are common: nursing care, accommodation, food service, aviation, railway, and some factory-related jobs
  • When you check a job offer, check not only the monthly salary, but also dormitory fees, overtime pay, night shift allowance, work location, and social insurance
Reference: Wage Data

The following amounts are the average monthly payment for SSW foreign workers in 2021, published in government materials. They are not take-home pay. View them as amounts before taxes, social insurance fees, dormitory fees, food costs, and other deductions.

  • Construction: 285,339 yen
  • Automobile Maintenance: 249,481 yen
  • Industrial Product Manufacturing: 240,641 yen
  • Shipbuilding and Ship Machinery: 239,748 yen
  • Fishery: 236,634 yen
  • Food service: 233,543 yen
  • Food and Beverage Manufacturing: 223,566 yen
  • Nursing care: 223,531 yen
  • Building Cleaning: 207,313 yen
  • Agriculture: 206,096 yen
  • Accommodation: 194,358 yen
  • Average for all fields: 231,979 yen

Aviation has a small number of target workers, so it is not included in the government statistics. Automobile transportation, railway, forestry, and wood industry were added in 2024, so there is no field-specific data for 2021.

Source: Immigration Services Agency, “Current Status of the Specified Skilled Worker System”

Check the Latest Number of SSW Residents

The number of foreign nationals living in Japan under SSW is published regularly. For the latest numbers by field and nationality, check the official page of the Immigration Services Agency of Japan.