Hire Skilled Indian Workers For Japan
日本のための、インドの人材。Japan faces a structural labour shortage projected to reach 11 million workers by 2040. Manpower First — the Tokutei Ginou (特定技能) recruitment agency from India, established Mumbai 1987 — supplies skills-tested, JFT-Basic certified Indian workers across all 16 Specified Skilled Worker sectors, fully within the India–Japan bilateral framework.
The Deepest Workforce Shortage
In The Developed World
Japan's workforce is shrinking faster than any major economy. Nearly three in ten Japanese citizens are aged 65 or over, and the working-age population declines every year. The result: caregiving homes cannot staff shifts, construction sites cannot pour concrete on schedule, factories cannot fill production lines, and restaurants cannot open full hours.
Japan's answer is the Specified Skilled Worker (SSW / 特定技能) framework — and India is at the centre of it. Manpower First supplies Indian manpower to Japan across all 16 SSW fields: skills-tested, JFT-Basic or JLPT N4 certified, culturally briefed, and deployed under the official India–Japan bilateral agreement. We hold pre-vetted candidate pools for Japanese employers, many with tests already cleared, ready for immediate shortlisting.
The India–Japan
Manpower Agreement
India and Japan signed a Memorandum of Cooperation on Specified Skilled Workers in January 2021, building on the 2017 Technical Intern Training Program agreement. In August 2025, both governments launched the Action Plan for India–Japan Human Resource Exchange — targeting 500,000 personnel exchanged over five years, including 50,000 skilled and semi-skilled Indian workers deployed to Japan.
Keidanren, Japan's leading business federation, has formally welcomed the agreement. Every Manpower First deployment operates inside this framework — legal, transparent, and protected.
Worst-Hit Sectors In Japan —
And The Indian Workers Who Fill Them
Every field approved under the Specified Skilled Worker programme, grouped by industry. Manpower First sources, tests, and deploys Indian workers for each.
Caregiving (介護 kaigo) is Japan's most acute shortage. With 29% of the population over 65, care homes and hospitals across every prefecture are recruiting foreign care workers at scale. Indian caregivers — trained, compassionate, and English-capable — are increasingly the preferred choice. Food and beverage manufacturing and food service round out the essential-services group.
Japan's construction workforce is ageing out faster than it can be replaced, while Osaka–Kansai redevelopment, disaster-resilience works, and urban renewal keep demand at record levels. Indian tradesmen — formwork carpenters, rebar workers, scaffolders, equipment operators — are proven performers on Japanese sites. Building cleaning management completes the group.
Industrial products manufacturing is the single largest SSW allocation. Japan's factories, machine shops, and shipyards need machine operators, welders, press workers, and assemblers. Indian workers bring strong technical fundamentals from India's own manufacturing base — plus shipbuilding, ship machinery, and automobile repair and maintenance expertise.
Record inbound tourism has hotels and ryokan competing for staff, while rural Japan's farms and fishing operations face the steepest demographic decline of all. Indian workers in accommodation, agriculture, and fisheries keep these industries running — from front-desk and housekeeping roles to crop cultivation, livestock, and aquaculture.
Japan's 2024 overtime caps for drivers — the "2024 problem" — turned a driver shortage into a national logistics crisis. In response, Japan added automobile transport, railway, forestry, and the timber industry to the SSW list in 2024, plus aviation ground handling. Indian drivers and technicians are among the first candidates deploying into these newly opened fields.
SSW Type 1, Type 2 & TITP —
Explained For Employers
The Specified Skilled Worker visa is Japan's primary route for hiring Indian workers. It admits skills-tested, language-certified foreign workers directly into 16 shortage industries — at wages equal to Japanese employees in the same role.
| Feature | SSW Type 1 | SSW Type 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum stay | 5 years total | Unlimited renewals |
| Eligible fields | All 16 | 11 |
| Family accompaniment | Not permitted | Spouse & children |
| Skill requirement | Sector skills test | Advanced examination |
| Language requirement | JFT-Basic / JLPT N4 | No additional test |
| Support plan | Required | Not required |
| Long-term residence path | Via Type 2 | Yes |
What Indian Workers Earn In Japan
Japanese law requires SSW workers to be paid equal to or above a comparable Japanese employee in the same role. These are indicative 2026 gross monthly figures; exact wages are set by the employer and region.
| Role | Monthly Gross (¥) | SSW Field | Language Min. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transport / Truck Driver | ¥220,000–¥280,000 | Automobile Transport | JFT-Basic / N4+ |
| Welder — Shipyard / Factory | ¥210,000–¥270,000 | Shipbuilding | JFT-Basic / N4 |
| Construction Worker (Formwork, Rebar, Scaffold) | ¥200,000–¥265,000 | Construction | JFT-Basic / N4 |
| Automobile Maintenance Technician | ¥200,000–¥250,000 | Auto Repair | JFT-Basic / N4 |
| Caregiver (Kaigo) | ¥195,000–¥235,000 | Nursing Care | JFT-Basic + Care JP Test |
| Factory / Manufacturing Operator | ¥190,000–¥245,000 | Manufacturing | JFT-Basic / N4 |
| Restaurant / Food Service Staff | ¥185,000–¥225,000 | Food Service | JFT-Basic / N4 |
| Hotel / Accommodation Staff | ¥185,000–¥230,000 | Accommodation | JFT-Basic / N4 |
| Food & Beverage Processing | ¥180,000–¥220,000 | F&B Manufacturing | JFT-Basic / N4 |
| Agriculture Worker | ¥175,000–¥215,000 | Agriculture | JFT-Basic / N4 |
Indicative gross monthly base wages before statutory overtime, allowances, and bonuses. Net take-home is approximately 80–85% after Japanese income tax and social insurance. Regional minimum wages vary by prefecture. Sources: Immigration Services Agency, MHLW wage data, market rates 2025–2026.
Requirement To On-Site
In 8–16 Weeks
Eight steps. Clear ownership at each one. Manpower First manages the India side end-to-end; your obligations in Japan are kept minimal and guided.
Submit Your Requirement
Role, volume, SSW sector, prefecture, language level, and start date. Our Japan desk responds within one business day.
Sourcing & Shortlisting
We search our pre-vetted Indian candidate database — many with skills tests already cleared — and run open-market sourcing. Profiles submitted in 5–10 working days.
Interviews & Selection
Video interviews between your team and shortlisted candidates. We coordinate scheduling across time zones and provide interpreter support where needed.
Skills Test & Language Certification
Candidates complete the sector SSW skills evaluation and JFT-Basic or JLPT N4 at Indian test centres. We manage preparation and scheduling.
Contract & Support Plan
You sign the SSW employment contract at wages equal to comparable Japanese staff, and finalise the 1-go support plan — directly or via your Registered Support Organisation.
COE Application
You apply for the Certificate of Eligibility at the Immigration Services Agency — including the 2025 cooperation confirmation letter. We prepare the complete, error-free document file.
SSW Visa In India
With the COE granted, each worker applies at the Japanese Embassy or Consulate in India — COE, passport, certificates, medical, and police clearance. Managed end-to-end.
Arrival & Onboarding
Workers arrive, complete municipal registration, health insurance and pension enrolment. Our pre-departure cultural orientation means they integrate from day one.
India's Most Experienced Overseas Recruitment Agency — Now In Japan
Manpower First was founded in Mumbai in 1987. Over 39 years we have deployed skilled Indian workers to employers across the Middle East, Europe, and Asia — building operational depth in sourcing, testing, documentation, and pre-departure coordination that newer agencies cannot match. Japan is our fastest-growing corridor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Through the Specified Skilled Worker (SSW / Tokutei Ginou) framework via a recruitment agency in India such as Manpower First. You submit a requirement, we source and shortlist pre-vetted Indian candidates, candidates pass the sector skills test and JFT-Basic or JLPT N4 language requirement, you apply for the Certificate of Eligibility, and the worker completes the SSW visa at the Japanese Embassy in India. Typical timeline: 8–16 weeks.
特定技能 (Tokutei Ginou) was introduced in April 2019 to admit skills-verified foreign workers into designated shortage industries — now 16 fields. Workers pass a sector skills test and demonstrate Japanese at JFT-Basic (A2) or JLPT N4. Japan set an intake cap of 820,000 SSW workers for fiscal years 2024–2028.
Type 1: up to 5 years total, all 16 fields, no family accompaniment. Type 2: advanced-skilled workers in 11 fields, unlimited renewals, family may accompany, and a pathway toward long-term residence. Workers progress from Type 1 to Type 2 by passing the advanced examination — a genuine retention route for employers.
Yes. The India–Japan MOC on Specified Skilled Workers was signed in January 2021, following the 2017 TITP agreement. In August 2025 both governments launched the Action Plan for India–Japan Human Resource Exchange: 500,000 personnel over five years, including 50,000 Indian workers deployed to Japan. Manpower First operates fully within this framework.
Nursing care, building cleaning, industrial products manufacturing, construction, shipbuilding and ship machinery, automobile repair, aviation, accommodation, agriculture, fishery, food and beverage manufacturing, food service, automobile transport, railway, forestry, and timber. Manpower First supplies Indian workers for every one of them.
JFT-Basic (CEFR A2) or JLPT N4 or above for SSW Type 1. Caregiving additionally requires the Nursing Care Japanese Language Evaluation Test. Both JFT-Basic and JLPT are conducted at Indian test centres, and Manpower First coordinates preparation and scheduling.
Typically 8–16 weeks from requirement to on-site, depending on sector, volume, test scheduling, and Immigration Services Agency processing. Our test-ready candidate pools — many with skills and language certification already completed — significantly shorten the front end.
Company registration, business licence, recent financials, a signed SSW employment contract per worker, a 1-go support plan (direct or via a Registered Support Organisation), and — from 2025 — the cooperation confirmation letter with local authorities for the COE application. We prepare and compile the complete file on your behalf.
Wages equal to or above a comparable Japanese employee in the same role — this is a legal requirement of the SSW framework. Indicative 2026 gross monthly figures range from about ¥175,000 in agriculture to ¥280,000 for transport drivers, plus statutory overtime and allowances.
Yes. We deploy Indian workers to Bahrain, Bosnia, Croatia, Germany, Israel, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Russia, and Saudi Arabia. Japan is one of our fastest-growing corridors, backed by the official India–Japan bilateral framework.
Connect With Us
Reach our Japan recruitment specialists directly. Every enquiry receives a response within one business day.
Send Your Requirement
Tell us your workforce need and our Japan desk will respond within one business day.
Japan's Shortage Is India's Opportunity
16 SSW sectors. An 820,000-worker intake cap. A government-backed India–Japan corridor targeting 50,000 Indian workers. Start your deployment with Manpower First — the SSW recruitment agency from India that Japanese employers rely on.
Contact Our Japan DeskManpower First is a recruitment agency in India based in Mumbai, established in 1987. As an overseas manpower recruitment agency and SSW (Tokutei Ginou) recruitment specialist, we source and deploy skilled and blue-collar Indian workers for employers in Japan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Israel, Germany, Russia, Croatia, and Bosnia. Contact [email protected].