2025-04-29

Specified Skills is a system under which industrial sectors suffering from labor shortages accept foreign workers with certain skills. This system is particularly effective for the automobile transportation industry, which has long suffered from a shortage of human resources. Let us explain in detail.

What is the Specified Skill System?

The “Specified Skill System” is a system for accepting foreign nationals with a certain level of expertise and skills in industrial fields where it is difficult to secure human resources.

There are two types of “Specified Technical Skills” residence statuses: “Specified Technical Skill No. 1,” which allows foreigners with knowledge and experience to engage in specified industrial fields, and “Specified Technical Skill No. 2,” which allows foreigners with skilled skills to engage in specified industrial fields.

What are Specified Technical Skills and Automobile Transportation?

Specified Technical Skills No. 1 allow foreign nationals to be employed in 16 industrial fields. Specified Skills No. 2 can be employed in 11 industrial fields. One of these is the “automobile transportation industry,” which we will discuss next.

In 2022, the ratio of job offers to applicants in the automobile transportation industry was 2.61 times, and it is expected that there will be a shortage of approximately 288,000 workers in five years (2026). By industry, there will be a shortage of approximately 200,000 workers in the trucking industry, 67,000 in the cab industry, and 22,000 in the bus transportation industry.

In order to solve the labor shortage, the “Specified Technical Skills” status of residence now allows foreigners to be employed in the trucking, cab transportation, and bus transportation industries. However, the employment status is limited to full-time, direct employment, and dispatching is not permitted.

Notes

Foreign drivers hired under the specified skill can be engaged in driving a commercial motor vehicle and in general work incidental to such driving. The term “incidental work” refers to work that is normally performed by Japanese drivers employed by the company.

When hiring a foreigner for the specified skill “motor vehicle transportation,” it is necessary to meet the requirements of the foreigner himself/herself and the company hiring the foreigner.

First, the following two requirements must be met by the foreigner.
・Skill level: The applicant must have the knowledge or skills necessary for the work in which he/she will be engaged.
・Japanese language skills: The applicant must have the Japanese language skills necessary for living in Japan and for the work in which he/she will be engaged.

There are also requirements for truck, cab, and bus industries.
・Trucks・・・Have a Class 1 driver’s license.
・Buses・Taxis・・・Taxis・・・Have a second-class driver’s license.

Next, there are five requirements for companies that hire
・The company must be a “business operator operating a motor vehicle transportation business” as stipulated in Article 2, Paragraph 2 of the Road Transportation Law.
・The company must be certified under the “Certification System for Good Workplace Environment for Drivers (Certification System for Good Workplace)”. The company is certified under the “Good Workplace Environment Certification System for Drivers (Good Workplace Certification System)” or holds the “Good Safety Office (G-Mark)” certification.
・The company falls under Japan Standard Industrial Classification “43 Road Passenger Transport” or “44 Road Freight Transport”.
・The company is a member of the Motor Transport Industry Sector/Specified Skills Council.
・The company provides training for new drivers (in the case of cabs and buses).

• Summary

The Specified Skills and Automobile Transport Sector is a system to solve the labor shortage in the truck, cab, and bus industries. However, it should be noted that there are requirements for both the foreign nationals to be hired and the companies that h