“Employment Status of Foreign Nationals” Reporting Status by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare

The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) has released a report on the employment of foreign nationals as of the end of October 2022.
Based on the Law for the Comprehensive Promotion of Labor Policies and Measures, the system requires all employers to confirm the name, status of residence, and period of stay of foreign nationals upon hiring or separation from employment, and to notify the Public Employment Security Office (Hello Work) of the status.

◆Number of foreign workers reached a record high of 1,822,725
The number of foreign workers totaled 1,822,725, an increase of 95,504 over the previous year and a record high since 2007, when notification became mandatory. The year-on-year increase was 5.5%, up 5.3 percentage points from 0.2% the previous year.

◆Nearly 300,000 business establishments employing foreign nationals, a record high.
The number of establishments employing foreign nationals totaled 298,790, an increase of 13,710 over the previous year and a record high since notification became mandatory. However, the year-on-year increase rate was 4.8%, down 1.9 percentage points from 6.7% in the previous year.

◆By nationality, Vietnam accounted for the largest number of visitors at 462,384.
By nationality, Vietnam has the largest number of foreign workers at 462,384, accounting for 25.4% of the total number of foreign workers. This was followed by China with 385,848 (21.2% of the total) and the Philippines with 206,050 (11.3% of the total).
The three main countries with the highest year-on-year increase were Indonesia, with 77,889 visitors, up 47.5% from the previous year, followed by Myanmar, with 47,498 visitors, up 37.7%, and Nepal, with 118,196 visitors, up 20.3%.

◆By status of residence, the number of “Technical Intern Training” was 343,254, down 8,534 from the previous year.
By status of residence, “Professional/Technical field of residence” accounted for 479,949, up 85,440 (21.7%) from the previous year. The number of “Specially Designated Activities” increased by 7,435 (11.3%) to 73,363. “Permanent Resident etc.” totaled 595,207, an increase of 14,879 (2.6%) from the previous year.
On the other hand, “Technical Training” decreased by 8,534 (2.4%) to 343,254 from the previous year. Among “activities other than those permitted under the status of residence,” “Studying Abroad” totaled 258,636, a decrease of 8,958 (3.3%) from the previous year.