💴 Foreign Worker Pay Survey: ¥292,400 a Month

❓ What was published?

On August 31, 2026, Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) released the results of its FY2025 (Reiwa 7) Survey on Employment of Foreign Workers. Run annually since 2023, the survey covers establishments nationwide that have five or more employment-insurance policyholders and employ at least one foreign worker, plus the regular foreign employees working there. This round tabulated 3,919 establishments that gave valid answers out of 9,016 sampled, and 14,248 workers. Pay is the headline figure. Regular workers' "contractual cash earnings per month" averaged ¥292,400, up 6.4% year on year. By residence status, status-based residents (permanent residents, spouses of Japanese nationals, etc.) earned the most at ¥347,200 (+13.8%), followed by specialized/technical fields at ¥306,500 (+6.0%), of which Specified Skilled Worker was ¥254,100 (+1.5%), and Technical Intern Training at ¥213,500 (+1.7%). Scheduled hours averaged 158.7 with 17.6 overtime hours, but technical interns worked longer: 165.2 scheduled and 21.4 overtime hours. The workforce is also growing. Foreign workers at surveyed establishments numbered about 2.04 million (about 1.82 million the year before). By residence status the mix was specialized/technical 42.1% (38.9%), status-based 24.0% (27.6%) and technical intern training 21.7% (20.2%) — the specialized/technical share rose. The top reason employers gave for hiring foreign workers was "to resolve or ease labour shortages" (68.2%), followed by "expecting performance equal to or better than Japanese staff" (56.2%).

👥 Who does this concern?

• ●All foreign workers employed in Japan (about 2.04 million at surveyed establishments)
• ●Those working under Specified Skilled Worker or Technical Intern Training, whose pay and hours sit below the overall average
• ●Anyone weighing a job change, a pay negotiation or a second job
• ●People planning to come to Japan from abroad for work who want a benchmark for entry costs and agency fees
• ●HR and labour staff at establishments employing foreign workers (5+ employment-insurance policyholders)

🌏 Impact on foreign residents

This is a statistical release rather than a rule change, but it gives you a yardstick for judging whether your own conditions are reasonable. Comparing your payslip with the averages by residence status — ¥306,500 for specialized/technical fields, ¥254,100 for Specified Skilled Worker, ¥213,500 for Technical Intern Training — gives you concrete material for a pay discussion or a decision to change jobs. The same goes for hours: technical interns averaged 21.4 overtime hours against 17.6 overall, which is worth checking against your overtime pay. The survey also shows how people actually find work. Among those already living in Japan, the most common route was "acquaintances and friends" at 37.8%, followed by job ads at 19.1%. Among those who came from abroad, 82.0% were introduced by an agency or an individual, with agencies or individuals in their home country accounting for 41.2%. Total costs incurred before entering Japan were most often ¥200,000–400,000 (21.1%), with ¥400,000–600,000 at 18.7%. As for problems at work, 88.5% reported none. Among the 10.0% who did, the top issue was "fees charged by the agency (including the sending organisation) were high" at 22.2%, followed by "did not know where to turn for advice" at 15.8% and "was required to have higher Japanese ability than explained beforehand" at 11.9%. Checking fees before you sign, and knowing your consultation options in advance, are the practical safeguards.