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Employment for Skill Development (育成就労): what changes

Employment for Skill Development (育成就労) starts on 2027-04-01 and replaces technical intern training. Plans run 3 years or less.

Reviewed on 2026-10-26

What is it, and when does it start?

Employment for Skill Development (育成就労) starts operating on 2027-04-01, replacing Technical Intern Training, which is being wound down. The old programme aimed at international contribution through skills transfer; the new one aims at developing and securing workers in labour-short fields.

It is designed to build, through 3 years of work in Japan, people whose skills reach the Specified Skilled Worker (i) level. Applications for supervising and support organisation permits have been accepted since 2026-04-15, and for plan accreditation since 2026-09-01.

Which fields, and how long?

There are 17 fields for 育成就労 against 19 for Specified Skilled Worker. As of 2026-07, the only Specified Skilled Worker fields with no 育成就労 counterpart are automobile transport and aviation.

A plan covers 3 years or less and is made per worker, accredited before work starts. There are no stage classes 1 to 3. The period can be extended for a good reason up to 4 years in total.

If a worker fails the exams needed to move to Specified Skilled Worker (i) after 3 years, the Immigration Services Agency (ISA) plans to allow up to 1 more year. By comparison, (i) is capped at 5 years in principle and (ii) has no cap.

What do workers need to qualify?

Before starting work a worker must either pass an A1-level Japanese test or complete at least 100 hours of an A1 course at a certified Japanese-language institution. A worker who has not passed an A1 test can still enter Japan and take the course after arrival. Workers must be at least 18.

The goal by the end is a skills test, such as Grade 3 of the national trade skill test or the Specified Skilled Worker (i) evaluation test, and a Japanese test at A2.2; some fields require a higher level. Moving on to Specified Skilled Worker (i) needs both.

Can I change employers?

Unlike technical intern training, a worker may change employers (転籍) of their own will under set conditions. The restriction period before a voluntary transfer is aimed at 1 year but is for now set per field between 1 and 2 years: as of 2026-01, 8 of the 17 fields set 2 years and the other 9 set 1 year.

The conditions are that the worker has reached the skill and Japanese levels set for the field, has not used a private job placement agency for the move, and that the new employer qualifies as an excellent 育成就労 employer. Transfers for unavoidable reasons, such as violence or harassment, remain possible.

Which countries, and what can workers be charged?

In principle workers can be accepted only from countries that have signed a bilateral Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) with Japan. As of 2026-10-23 the ISA lists MOCs with 6 countries: Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bangladesh, Timor-Leste and Laos.

On the Organization for Technical Intern Training (OTIT) list page of 2026-10-20, Vietnam, Indonesia, Nepal, the Philippines, Myanmar and Cambodia have no MOC date, only a provisional sending-organisation list.

All fees a worker pays to a sending organisation may not exceed 2 months of salary; any cost above that is borne by the employer or the supervising and support organisation. Family members cannot, in principle, accompany a worker.

What happens to current technical interns?

Technical interns can keep training after the launch if they are already in Japan on 2027-04-01, or if their plan application was filed by 2027-03-31 and training starts, in principle, by 2027-06-30. Those who continue stay under technical intern rules and cannot switch to 育成就労.

After the launch no new technical intern plan applications can be filed. The ISA’s leaflet marks 2030-03-31 as the target point after which only 育成就労 remains. Stage 1 trainees at the launch can still move to stage 2.

Moving to stage 3 after the launch is only possible for stage 2 trainees who had already done at least 1 year of stage 2 on 2027-04-01. For the time being, a technical intern who completed stage 2 well and whose new work is related can move to Specified Skilled Worker (i).

Official source

Rulebook entries on this topic

What it is

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Who qualifies

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Numbers and tests

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  • For railway, the Japanese level for a voluntary transfer is A2.1 in general but A2.2 or higher for the station and train staff (transport attendant) business category.
    分野別運用方針 別紙１１（鉄道） ３(1) · Checked on 2026-10-23 · In force from 2027-04-01
  • Voluntary transferees may not exceed one third of the receiving employer's total 育成就労 workers (counting the incoming worker in both numerator and denominator).
    育成就労制度Q＆A（出入国在留管理庁） Q53 · Checked on 2026-10-22 · In force from 2027-04-01
  • If the receiving employer is in a large-city area, transferees coming from designated regional areas may not exceed one sixth of its 育成就労 workers, except that a small employer with fewer than six workers (transferee included) may take one if the one-third rule is met.
    育成就労制度Q＆A（出入国在留管理庁） Q53 · Checked on 2026-10-22 · In force from 2027-04-01
  • All fees a worker pays to a sending organization may not exceed two months of salary.
    育成就労制度Q＆A（出入国在留管理庁） Q73 · Checked on 2026-10-22 · In force from 2027-04-01
  • Sector-wide intake caps (expected acceptance numbers) are set for five-year periods; for the period to the end of March 2029 they total 805,700 Specified Skilled Worker type 1 and 426,200 育成就労 workers, 1,231,900 in all.
    特定技能の在留資格に係る制度の運用に関する方針及び育成就労に係る制度の運用に関する方針（分野別運用方針）の主要な記載事項 2 · Checked on 2026-10-23 · In force from 2027-04-01
  • For supervised-type employers with 301 or more regular staff, the intake limit is 15 percent of regular staff, doubled (30 percent) for excellent employers and 45 percent for excellent employers in designated regional areas using an excellent supervising organization; smaller employers follow a table with fixed numbers.
    育成就労制度の関係省令等について（概略図） 8 · Checked on 2026-10-23 · In force from 2027-04-01
  • The intake limit applies to the combined number of first-, second- and third-year workers, since the old stage categories are gone; transferees for unavoidable reasons and people on an extended period fall outside it.
    育成就労制度の関係省令等について（概略図） 8 · Checked on 2026-10-22 · In force from 2027-04-01
  • A supervising and support organization must have at least two full-time staff for the work and keep each staff member under 8 employers and under 40 workers.
    育成就労制度Q＆A（出入国在留管理庁） Q33 · Checked on 2026-10-22 · In force from 2027-04-01
  • Nursing care (1 business category): Japanese A2.2 is required before starting; the first-year test is the Nursing Care 育成就労 Evaluation Test (basic level) with A2.2 plus a Japanese learning plan (waived at B1 or above); the end test is the Nursing Care evaluation test (specialist level) plus A2.2 and the SSW Nursing Care Japanese test; transfer needs the basic-level test and A2.2; transfer restriction is 2 years, and employers with a restriction over 1 year must hold the care-worker treatment-improvement allowance and make a career-support plan for each worker.
    分野別運用方針 別紙1（介護） 第三 育成就労制度に関する事項 · Checked on 2026-10-23 · In force from 2027-04-01
  • Building cleaning (1 business category): entry needs an A1-level Japanese test or an A1 course; the first-year test is the Building Cleaning 育成就労 Evaluation Test (basic level); the end test is the Building Cleaning SSW1 evaluation test with Japanese A2.2; a voluntary transfer needs the basic-level test and A2.1; the transfer restriction is 1 year.
    分野別運用方針 別紙2（ビルクリーニング） 第三 育成就労制度に関する事項 · Checked on 2026-10-22 · In force from 2027-04-01
  • Linen supply (1 business category): entry needs an A1-level Japanese test or an A1 course; the first-year test is the Linen Supply 育成就労 Evaluation Test (basic level); the end test is the Linen Supply SSW1 evaluation test with Japanese A2.2; a voluntary transfer needs the basic-level test and A2.1; the transfer restriction is 1 year.
    分野別運用方針 別紙3（リネンサプライ） 第三 育成就労制度に関する事項 · Checked on 2026-10-22 · In force from 2027-04-01
  • Industrial product manufacturing (17 business categories): the first-year and end-of-育成就労 skill tests are set per main skill in Annex Table 3 (columns c and d); Japanese is A1 for year one, A2.2 at the end and A2.1 for a voluntary transfer, whose skill test equals the first-year test; the transfer restriction is 2 years and employers with a restriction over 1 year must raise scheduled pay from year 1 to year 2 by the rate the sector council publishes from the all-company wage-rise rate.
    分野別運用方針 別紙4（工業製品製造業） 第三 育成就労制度に関する事項 · Checked on 2026-10-23 · In force from 2027-04-01
  • Construction (3 business categories: civil engineering, building, lifeline and equipment): skill tests are set per main skill in Annex Table 3; Japanese is A1 for year one, A2.2 at the end and A2.1 for a voluntary transfer; the transfer restriction is 2 years, and employers with a restriction over 1 year must raise scheduled pay from year 1 to year 2 by at least the annual rate the sector council announces from the previous year's construction wage rise.
    分野別運用方針 別紙5（建設） 第三 育成就労制度に関する事項 · Checked on 2026-10-22 · In force from 2027-04-01
  • Shipbuilding and marine industry (3 business categories: shipbuilding, marine machinery, marine electrical and electronic equipment): skill tests are set per main skill in Annex Table 3; Japanese is A1 for year one, A2.2 at the end and A2.1 for a voluntary transfer; the transfer restriction is 2 years, and employers with a restriction over 1 year must raise scheduled pay from year 1 to year 2 by the annual rate set from small-company wage rises in the field.
    分野別運用方針 別紙6（造船・舶用工業） 第三 育成就労制度に関する事項 · Checked on 2026-10-23 · In force from 2027-04-01
  • Automobile maintenance (2 business categories: automobile maintenance, body repair): skill tests are the category-specific 育成就労 evaluation tests in Annex Table 3; Japanese is A1 for year one, A2.2 at the end and A2.1 for a voluntary transfer; the transfer restriction is 2 years, and employers with a restriction over 1 year must raise scheduled pay from year 1 to year 2 by the annual rate the council sets, taking the higher of the foreign-only and all-worker wage-rise rates.
    分野別運用方針 別紙7（自動車整備） 第三 育成就労制度に関する事項 · Checked on 2026-10-22 · In force from 2027-04-01
  • Accommodation (1 business category): entry needs an A1-level Japanese test or course; the first-year test is the Accommodation 育成就労 Evaluation Test (basic level); the end test is the Accommodation SSW1 evaluation test with Japanese A2.2; a voluntary transfer needs the basic-level test and A2.1; the transfer restriction is 1 year.
    分野別運用方針 別紙9（宿泊） 第三 育成就労制度に関する事項 · Checked on 2026-10-22 · In force from 2027-04-01
  • Railway (6 business categories: track maintenance, electrical equipment, rolling-stock maintenance, rolling-stock manufacturing, station and train staff, station and train cleaning): skill tests are set per category in Annex Table 2; the transfer restriction is 1 year; Japanese is A1 at year one, A2.2 at the end and A2.1 for a transfer, except station and train staff, who need A2.2 at entry and for a transfer and B1 at the end.
    分野別運用方針 別紙11（鉄道） 第三 育成就労制度に関する事項 · Checked on 2026-10-23 · In force from 2027-04-01
  • Logistics warehouse (1 business category): entry needs an A1-level Japanese test or course; the first-year test is the Logistics Warehouse 育成就労 Evaluation Test (basic level); the end test is the Logistics Warehouse SSW1 evaluation test with Japanese A2.2; a voluntary transfer needs the basic-level test and A2.1; the transfer restriction is 1 year.
    分野別運用方針 別紙12（物流倉庫） 第三 育成就労制度に関する事項 · Checked on 2026-10-22 · In force from 2027-04-01
  • Agriculture (2 business categories: crop farming, livestock): skill tests are set per main skill (greenhouse, rice and field crops, fruit; pigs, poultry, cattle) in Annex Table 3; Japanese is A1 for year one, A2.2 at the end and A2.1 for a voluntary transfer; the transfer restriction is 1 year.
    分野別運用方針 別紙13（農業） 第三 育成就労制度に関する事項 · Checked on 2026-10-23 · In force from 2027-04-01
  • Fisheries (2 business categories: capture fishing, aquaculture): skill tests are set per category in Annex Table 3; Japanese is A1 for year one, A2.2 at the end and A2.1 for a voluntary transfer; the transfer restriction is 1 year.
    分野別運用方針 別紙14（漁業） 第三 育成就労制度に関する事項 · Checked on 2026-10-23 · In force from 2027-04-01
  • Food and beverage manufacturing (2 business categories: food and beverage manufacturing, seafood processing): skill tests are set per main skill in Annex Table 3; Japanese is A1 for year one, A2.2 at the end and A2.1 for a voluntary transfer; the transfer restriction is 2 years, and employers with a restriction over 1 year must raise scheduled pay from year 1 to year 2 by the annual rate the council sets from the field's employer wage-rise rate.
    分野別運用方針 別紙15（飲食料品製造業） 第三 育成就労制度に関する事項 · Checked on 2026-10-22 · In force from 2027-04-01
  • Food service (1 business category, with a separate medical and welfare facility meal production skill): skill tests are set in Annex Table 3; Japanese is A1 for year one, A2.2 at the end and A2.1 for a voluntary transfer; the transfer restriction is 2 years, and employers with a restriction over 1 year must raise scheduled pay from year 1 to year 2 by the annual rate the council sets from the field's employer wage-rise rate.
    分野別運用方針 別紙16（外食業） 第三 育成就労制度に関する事項 · Checked on 2026-10-22 · In force from 2027-04-01
  • Forestry (1 business category): the first-year test is the skill test (forestry) basic level; the end test is the skill test (forestry) grade 3 with Japanese A2.2; a voluntary transfer needs the basic-level test and A2.1; the transfer restriction is 1 year.
    分野別運用方針 別紙17（林業） 第三 育成就労制度に関する事項 · Checked on 2026-10-22 · In force from 2027-04-01
  • Wood industry (1 business category): the first-year test is the Wood Industry 育成就労 Evaluation Test (basic level); the end test is the Wood Industry SSW1 evaluation test with Japanese A2.2; a voluntary transfer needs the basic-level test and A2.1; the transfer restriction is 1 year.
    分野別運用方針 別紙18（木材産業） 第三 育成就労制度に関する事項 · Checked on 2026-10-22 · In force from 2027-04-01
  • Resource recycling (1 business category: waste disposal, intermediate treatment): the first-year test is the Resource Recycling 育成就労 Evaluation Test (basic level); the end test is the Resource Recycling SSW1 evaluation test with Japanese A2.2; a voluntary transfer needs the basic-level test and A2.1; the transfer restriction is 2 years, and employers with a restriction over 1 year must raise scheduled pay from year 1 to year 2 by the annual rate the council sets from the field's employer wage-rise rate.
    分野別運用方針 別紙19（資源循環） 第三 育成就労制度に関する事項 · Checked on 2026-10-22 · In force from 2027-04-01
  • Voluntary transferees count toward the one-third and one-sixth limits: with 1 or 2 workers in total no voluntary transferee can be taken; with 3 to 5, 1; with 6 to 8, 2 (1 from regional areas to a metropolitan employer); with 9 to 11, 3; with 12 or 13, 4 (2 from regional areas).
    育成就労制度運用要領（全体版） 第4章第3節第2（３）ウ（イ） · Checked on 2026-10-22 · In force from 2027-04-01
  • A 育成就労 worker's pay must be equal to or higher than a Japanese worker doing the same work, and may not be set low because the person is a foreign worker; if there is no comparable Japanese worker the employer proves equivalence from its pay rules or the closest comparable job.
    育成就労制度運用要領（全体版） 第4章第2節第10（１） · Checked on 2026-10-22 · In force from 2027-04-01
  • Regular charges to the worker such as meals, rent and utilities must be agreed in advance after the worker understands what is provided, and must be set at actual cost or another fair amount.
    育成就労制度運用要領（全体版） 第4章第2節第10（５） · Checked on 2026-10-22 · In force from 2027-04-01
  • Meal charges may not exceed the cost of the food bought, the staff-canteen price charged to other employees, or the cost of cooking divided by everyone served; rent for rented housing may not exceed regular rent, management fees and fire insurance divided by the number of residents, and deposits, key money, agent fees and renewal fees may not be charged; utilities are split among all occupants.
    育成就労制度運用要領（全体版） 第4章第2節第10（５） · Checked on 2026-10-22 · In force from 2027-04-01
  • A worker's bedroom must give at least 4.5 square metres per person excluding alcoves and closets, a lockable private-belongings cabinet fixed in place, a window of at least one seventh of the room area, and heating and cooling; the plan must show this on the floor plan.
    育成就労制度運用要領（全体版） 第4章第2節第10（２） · Checked on 2026-10-22 · In force from 2027-04-01
  • To be excellent an employer must score at least 70 percent of the points that apply to it: 40 of 56 with no or under one year of intake, 51 of 72 for one to under two years, 60 of 85 for two to under three years, and 70 of 100 for three years or more, with at least 60 percent in each section other than the violations section.
    育成就労制度運用要領（全体版） 第4章第2節第12 · Checked on 2026-10-22 · In force from 2027-04-01
  • Supervised-type intake limits by staff size for larger employers: 201-300 staff, 45 workers (90 for excellent employers, 135 for excellent regional employers with an excellent supervising organization); 101-200 staff, 30 (60, 90); 51-100 staff, 18 (36, 54); 41-50 staff, 15 (30, 45); 31-40 staff, 12 (24, 36).
    育成就労制度の関係省令等について（概略図） 8 · Checked on 2026-10-22 · In force from 2027-04-01
  • Supervised-type intake limits for small employers: 9-30 staff, 9 workers (18 excellent, 27 excellent regional); 8 staff, 9 (18, 24); 7 staff, 9 (18, 21); 6 staff, 9 (18, 19); 5 staff, 9 (15, 16); 4 staff, 9 (12, 13); 3 staff, 9 (10, 11); 2 staff, 6 (7, 8); 1 staff, 3 (4, 5).
    育成就労制度の関係省令等について（概略図） 8 · Checked on 2026-10-22 · In force from 2027-04-01
  • Stand-alone type: the limit is 15 percent of regular staff (3/20), or 30 percent (3/10) for an excellent employer, with a fractional result under 3 counted as zero; an employer with a steady, stable structure can instead use the supervised-type table.
    育成就労制度運用要領（全体版） 第4章第2節第11 · Checked on 2026-10-23 · In force from 2027-04-01
  • Workers who changed employers for an unavoidable reason, workers whose period was extended past three years, and workers resuming after a pause such as pregnancy or childbirth do not count toward the employer's intake limit.
    育成就労制度の関係省令等について（概略図） 8 · Checked on 2026-10-22 · In force from 2027-04-01
  • For a worker dispatched among several workplaces the intake limit is the smallest of the individual limits of the dispatching and receiving employers, and a dispatch-type plan can use at most three receiving workplaces (two if work is also done at the dispatcher's own site).
    育成就労制度の関係省令等について（概略図） 12 · Checked on 2026-10-23 · In force from 2027-04-01
  • Under the current technical intern rules, the stage 1 intake limit for a supervised-type host employer is 1/20 of regular staff for 301 or more, 15 for 201-300, 10 for 101-200, 6 for 51-100, 5 for 41-50, 4 for 31-40 and 3 for 30 or fewer, and the stage 2 limit is twice the stage 1 limit.
    外国人技能実習制度について（令和8年8月14日改訂版） 別紙2 技能実習生の数（基本人数枠） · Checked on 2026-10-23
  • Under the current ordinance, an excellent host employer with a general (excellent) supervising-organization permit may take twice the stage 1 figure, four times for stage 2 and six times for stage 3 of the table, capped by staff numbers.
    外国人の技能実習の適正な実施及び技能実習生の保護に関する法律施行規則（現行、令和8年10月22日時点） 第十六条第二項第二号 · Checked on 2026-10-22

Periods

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Deadlines

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  • A supervising organization must audit each employer on site at least once every three months, counted in three-month blocks from the month post-entry training starts, led by its supervision manager and not outsourced; during the first year of a worker's period it must also visit the employer at least once a month.
    育成就労制度運用要領（全体版） 第5章第16節第2（１） · Checked on 2026-10-22 · In force from 2027-04-01
  • A supervising organization must file the difficulty-in-continuing notice within two weeks of the cause, or by the day before a worker leaves for early return if that is sooner, and a worker who decides to go home early must first confirm in a written statement that the return is voluntary; failing to file can be fined up to 300,000 yen.
    育成就労制度運用要領（全体版） 第4章第12節 · Checked on 2026-10-22 · In force from 2027-04-01

Fees

  • The new employer must reimburse the former employer for recruitment and training costs: a base amount set by notice multiplied by a pro-rata factor of 5/6 (under 1 year 6 months with the former employer), 2/3 (1 year 6 months to under 2 years), 1/2 (2 years to under 2 years 6 months) or 1/4 (2 years 6 months or more).
    育成就労制度の関係省令等について（概略図） 13 · Checked on 2026-10-23 · In force from 2027-04-01
  • Any cost above the two-month cap is borne by the employer or the supervising and support organization, not by the worker.
    育成就労制度Q＆A（出入国在留管理庁） Q73 · Checked on 2026-10-23 · In force from 2027-04-01
  • Fee for accreditation of a 育成就労 plan: 6,100 yen per plan, paid to the organization by bank transfer.
    育成就労制度運用要領（全体版） 第4章 · Checked on 2026-10-22 · In force from 2027-04-01
  • Supervising and support organization permit application fee paid to the State: 10,600 yen, plus 4,400 yen for each extra office.
    育成就労制度運用要領（全体版） 第5章 · Checked on 2026-10-22 · In force from 2027-04-01
  • Supervising and support organization survey fee paid to the Organization: 81,000 yen, plus 57,600 yen for each extra office.
    育成就労制度運用要領（全体版） 第5章 · Checked on 2026-10-22 · In force from 2027-04-01
  • Where a national skill test is run by a prefectural vocational ability development association, the standard fee is 3,100 yen for the written part and 18,200 yen for the practical part, varying by prefecture; private test bodies set their own fees, and young examinees may get a practical-test discount.
    技能検定 受検の手続き（厚生労働省） 受検手数料 · Checked on 2026-10-22
  • Taking the national skill test or a 育成就労 Evaluation Test cannot be used to lower a worker's pay: test fees and supervising-organization fees may not be charged by cutting the worker's compensation.
    育成就労制度運用要領（全体版） 第4章第2節第10（１） · Checked on 2026-10-22 · In force from 2027-04-01
  • When the worker's most recent plan was an ordinary accredited plan (not itself a transfer plan), the reimbursement a voluntary-transfer employer pays the former employer is the notified base amount times a factor set by how long the worker was with the former employer: 5/6 for 1 year to under 1 year 6 months, 2/3 for 1y6m to under 2 years, 1/2 for 2 years to under 2y6m, and 1/4 for 2y6m or more, rounded down to the nearest 1,000 yen.
    育成就労制度運用要領（全体版） 第4章第3節第2（３）ウ（オ） · Checked on 2026-10-23 · In force from 2027-04-01
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How it works

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Penalties

Lists and tables

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Recent changes

Information only. Not legal advice and not an official service. Check the official source and consult the Immigration Services Agency or a licensed administrative scrivener (行政書士) before you decide.