Hays reveals the top 10 in-demand jobs for Japan
Japan, July 3 2025 – Organisations in Japan expect to increase headcount in 2025 as employers look to fill critical skill gaps ahead of a challenging Asian economic climate.
According to 2025 Hays Asia Salary Guide, 71 per cent of organisations in Japan faced moderate to extreme skill shortages in 2024. 38 per cent of hiring managers surveyed attributed these shortages to tough competition from other employers.
"Skilled talent remains at a premium in Japan, and organisations are taking steps to secure critical talent ahead of competitors,” says Grant Torrens, Managing Director at Hays Japan. “We foresee a high demand for roles in accounting, finance, HR, insurance, engineering, sales, office professionals and technology in the coming year. Candidates with highly sought-after skills will have a notable advantage in landing their preferred positions over others.”
According to 2025 Hays Asia Salary Guide, 71 per cent of organisations in Japan faced moderate to extreme skill shortages in 2024. 38 per cent of hiring managers surveyed attributed these shortages to tough competition from other employers.
"Skilled talent remains at a premium in Japan, and organisations are taking steps to secure critical talent ahead of competitors,” says Grant Torrens, Managing Director at Hays Japan. “We foresee a high demand for roles in accounting, finance, HR, insurance, engineering, sales, office professionals and technology in the coming year. Candidates with highly sought-after skills will have a notable advantage in landing their preferred positions over others.”
Hays has compiled a list of ten jobs for Japan that are seeing high demand from businesses. These jobs are listed as follows:
"With 56 per cent of businesses in Japan looking to expand their workforce this year, there's a clear demand for skilled professionals to help organisations meet growth targets. Leaders will need to revisit talent attraction strategies to ensure their Employee Value Propositions line up with what candidates today expect, including providing upskilling and career development opportunities,” says Grant.
The full blog is available here.
At Hays Japan, our experts provide professional services across the private sector, dealing in permanent positions, contract roles, recruitment process outsourcing (RPO), Managed Service Programmes (MSP) and IT solutions in the following 13 specialisms: Accountancy & Finance, Banking & Financial Services, Engineering, Marketing & Digital, Human Resources, Insurance, Legal, Life Sciences, Office Professionals, Property, Sales & Marketing, Supply Chain and Technology. This ensures a highly focused, fully tailored specialist recruitment service, enabling us to power the future of work by serving thousands of companies and candidates in Japan. Hays Japan is recognised as a Great Place to Work® by the esteemed Great Place to Work® Institute Japan, the global authority on workplace culture. We continue to strengthen our position in Asia with the world-leading ISO 9001:2015 certification in all our operational markets including Japan, China, Hong Kong SAR, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.
– the Group reported net fees of £1,113.6 million and operating profit of £105.1 million.
– the Group placed around 57,700 candidates into permanent jobs and around 225,000 people into temporary roles.
– 13% of Group net fees were generated in Australia & New Zealand, 32% in Germany, 20% in United Kingdom & Ireland and 35% in Rest of World (RoW).
– the temporary placement business represented 59% of net fees and the permanent placement business represented 41% of net fees.
– Technology is the Group’s largest division, with 25% of net fees, while Accountancy & Finance (15%) and Engineering (11%), are the next largest.
– Hays operates in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, UAE, the UK, and the USA.
1. IT Project Manager
There is a significant shortage of IT professionals in Japan, projected to reach approximately 430,000 by 2025, up from 170,000 in 2015. This includes project and change management positions, which is seeing heightened demand as organisations strive to adapt to market changes and digital trends to stay relevant.2. IT Consultant
IT Consulting roles have seen heavy competition in the industry, driven by the lack of skilled professionals capable to taking on the job. Consequently, qualified candidates can command higher salary packages compared to their peers within other specialisms.3. Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A) Manager
Finance functions have become increasingly integral to strategic decision-making in Japan. FP&A roles are evolving to focus more on strategy, data analysis and visualisation instead of traditional number crunching. Talent fulfilling these prerequisites can be difficult to come by today, and qualified candidates are well-positioned to negotiate for better salary and benefits from employers.4. Senior Compliance Officer (Financial Services)
The increasing complexity of financial regulations and the need to combat financial crimes such as money laundering and cybercrime is driving demand for Senior Compliance Officers. Additionally, the limited availability of talent with the necessary skills and language proficiency further drives the demand for these specialised roles.5. HRBP
The demand for bilingual HR professionals in Japan is increasing, with global firms requiring more fluency in Japanese while Japanese companies seek foreign candidates who speak Japanese as part of their DE&I plans. Organisations are exploring hybrid roles today which see HRBP responsibilities being combined with HR operations, talent acquisition or learning & development, reducing headcount in favour of more flexibility. Specialists in this field are in high demand, making it challenging to find suitable candidates which consequently drives salary ranges for such positions higher.6. Quality Engineer
The growth of advanced industries in Japan such as automotive, electronics, and renewable energy requires skilled professionals to ensure product quality and compliance with international standards.7. Key Account Manager
Sales positions in Japan have seen an increase in demand, especially in IT, service, hospitality and FMCG sectors which face significant labour shortages. Local companies are key drivers of this demand, and are expected to be investing in hiring more sales personnel up until summer. Among the available roles, Key Account Managers are particularly valuable for their ability to manage and nurture relationships with clients.8. Sales Manager (Pharmaceutical)
Japan’s position as a leading consumer market for pharmaceuticals has also contributed to the high demand for sales professionals to serve the increasing demands of an aging populate that is turning more and more to health and lifestyle products to remain healthy. Sales Managers in particular are crucial towards helping organisations achieve sales targets and drive revenue growth for pharmaceutical products.9. Insurance Distribution Sales
Japan’s aging society has also led to increased demand for pension and whole life insurance among the populace. Sales representatives with expertise in retirement planning and asset management are highly sought after to help drive these products.10. Customer Service Specialists
The talent pool for this function remains as broad as ever, providing organisations a wealth of options to choose from and allowing them the luxury of scaling salaries lower in favour of better benefits. However, positions requiring bilingual proficiency continue to be difficult to fill due to a lack of candidates who meet such requirements."With 56 per cent of businesses in Japan looking to expand their workforce this year, there's a clear demand for skilled professionals to help organisations meet growth targets. Leaders will need to revisit talent attraction strategies to ensure their Employee Value Propositions line up with what candidates today expect, including providing upskilling and career development opportunities,” says Grant.
The full blog is available here.
About Hays Japan
Hays Specialist Recruitment Japan KK ("Hays Japan"), established in Tokyo in 2001, is one of the largest foreign recruitment companies in Japan with three offices across the country (Tokyo Head Office, Osaka and Yokohama).At Hays Japan, our experts provide professional services across the private sector, dealing in permanent positions, contract roles, recruitment process outsourcing (RPO), Managed Service Programmes (MSP) and IT solutions in the following 13 specialisms: Accountancy & Finance, Banking & Financial Services, Engineering, Marketing & Digital, Human Resources, Insurance, Legal, Life Sciences, Office Professionals, Property, Sales & Marketing, Supply Chain and Technology. This ensures a highly focused, fully tailored specialist recruitment service, enabling us to power the future of work by serving thousands of companies and candidates in Japan. Hays Japan is recognised as a Great Place to Work® by the esteemed Great Place to Work® Institute Japan, the global authority on workplace culture. We continue to strengthen our position in Asia with the world-leading ISO 9001:2015 certification in all our operational markets including Japan, China, Hong Kong SAR, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.
About Hays
Hays plc (the "Group") is the world’s leading specialist in workforce solutions and recruitment, such as RPO and MSP. The Group is the expert at recruiting qualified, professional, and skilled people worldwide, being the market leader in the UK, Germany, and Australia and one of the market leaders in Continental Europe, Latin America, and Asia. The Group operates across the private and public sectors, dealing in permanent positions, contract roles and temporary assignments. As of 30 June 2024, the Group employed over 11,100 staff operating from 236 offices in 33 countries. For the year ended 30 June 2024:– the Group reported net fees of £1,113.6 million and operating profit of £105.1 million.
– the Group placed around 57,700 candidates into permanent jobs and around 225,000 people into temporary roles.
– 13% of Group net fees were generated in Australia & New Zealand, 32% in Germany, 20% in United Kingdom & Ireland and 35% in Rest of World (RoW).
– the temporary placement business represented 59% of net fees and the permanent placement business represented 41% of net fees.
– Technology is the Group’s largest division, with 25% of net fees, while Accountancy & Finance (15%) and Engineering (11%), are the next largest.
– Hays operates in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, UAE, the UK, and the USA.