[Survey of Foreign Residents] 95.8% Want to Continue Working in Japan. Meanwhile, South Korea Ranks First Among Countries of Interest - While Desire to Work in Japan Remains High, Signs of Concern Emerge for Japan's Continued Appeal -

Mynavi Global Corporation (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Motoki Yuzuriha; Mynavi Group) conducted a survey on foreign residents in Japan regarding their desire to work in Japan and their status under the "Specified Skilled Worker" visa program. The following are excerpts from the survey results.

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● 95.8% responded that they want to continue working in Japan, an increase of 3.5 points from 2025. The desire to work in Japan remains at a high level, continuing from the previous year.

● The percentage of those wanting to work for 5 years or more decreased by 14.7 points. For Vietnamese workers, this decrease was 18.4 points. A trend of declining long-term employment希望者 was observed.

● 83.7% are interested in working in countries other than Japan.

● The most common country of interest was "South Korea," with the primary reason being "liking the country's culture" (31.4%), followed by "higher salary than Japan" (28.4%).

● Interest in working under the "Specified Skilled Worker 2" visa increased by 2.5 points.

95.8% Want to Work in Japan; Long-Term Employment Hopefuls Decline.

95.8% of respondents indicated they wish to continue working in Japan. This is an increase of 3.5 points compared to the 2025 survey. On the other hand, among those who want to work in Japan, 61.6% expressed a desire to work for "5 years or more." This proportion decreased by 14.7 points compared to 2025. While the intention to continue working in Japan remains high, the percentage of people hoping for long-term employment has decreased.

Looking at the breakdown by country of origin, the proportion of Vietnamese workers who responded "5 years or more" decreased by 18.4 points. One possible background factor is the increasing number of people choosing to return to their home countries due to the weak yen and rising wages in their home nations.

83.7% Are Interested in Working in Countries Other Than Japan.

83.7% of respondents expressed interest in working in other countries. While the desire to work in Japan is high, the results suggest that Japan is not the only option.

South Korea Ranks First Among Countries of Interest, with "Liking the Culture" and "Higher Salary Than Japan" as Top Reasons.

When asked which countries they were interested in working in, "South Korea" was the most frequently cited at 16.5%. Furthermore, the most common reason for choosing South Korea was "liking the country's culture" (31.4%), followed by "higher salary than Japan" (28.4%).

Interest in Working Under the "Specified Skilled Worker 2" Visa Remains High.

The percentage of people who want to work under the "Specified Skilled Worker 2" visa increased by 2.5 points compared to 2025. When broken down by visa status, high levels of employment interest were observed for "Specified Skilled Worker" and "Technical Intern Training" visas. Additionally, 69.4% of international students and 77.3% of those with "Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services" visas also showed high interest, indicating that the "Specified Skilled Worker" program is becoming a primary employment route for foreign nationals.

[Comments]

Motoki Yuzuriha, President and CEO, Mynavi Global Corporation

This survey reveals that a large number of foreign residents in Japan wish to continue working here, indicating a high level of employment desire. On the other hand, many are also interested in working in other countries, suggesting that Japan may no longer be the sole option. Furthermore, the proportion of individuals seeking long-term employment in Japan has decreased. This could be influenced by the fact that over five years have passed since the "Specified Skilled Worker" system was introduced, leading to an increase in individuals whose period of stay is being extended.

Considering the ongoing weak yen, rising wages in other countries, and advancements in foreign worker policies in neighboring nations, it will be crucial not only to secure a stable supply of "Specified Skilled Worker 1" personnel but also to create an environment that makes Japan an attractive work destination, focusing on aspects like the growth potential of the Japanese economy and wage levels. Securing and retaining talent in regional areas will also be a key challenge.

*For details on the survey results, please visit the news section on our company website (https://mgl.mynavi.jp/news/).

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[Survey Overview]

Target Audience: Foreign residents in Japan

Survey Period: January 23, 2026 - February 24, 2026

Number of Respondents: 1732

Recruitment Method: Invitations sent to Mynavi Global's supported individuals and registrants, international students from affiliated Japanese language schools and vocational schools, and Facebook groups/communities seeking employment in Japan.

Survey Method: Internet-based survey

Survey Organization: Mynavi Global Corporation

Tabulation Method: Due to the high proportion of responses for "Specified Skilled Worker" and "Student" visas in this survey, weighted tabulation was performed based on data from the previous year and the Immigration Services Agency's statistics on the number of foreign residents. For the benchmark figures, data from the end of Reiwa 7 (2025) was used for the number of residents by visa status for the 2026 data, and data from the end of Reiwa 6 (2024) was used for the 2025 data to calculate the visa status ratios. Weighted tabulation was not performed for figures with significant deviations or small response counts. In such cases, it is noted as "No weighted tabulation."

*Weighted tabulation is a method of tabulation that applies weights to the response proportions to match the actual attribute proportions when there is a discrepancy between the attribute composition ratio of respondents and the actual attribute ratio.

*The sum may not equal 100% due to rounding of fractions in the survey results.

[Regarding Citation of Survey Results]

When quoting or transcribing the survey data from this release, please clearly state that the source is "Mynavi Global."

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[About Mynavi Global]

Mynavi Global Corporation is a human resources company specializing in foreign recruitment within the Mynavi Group. We provide employment support for Japanese companies, primarily for Southeast Asian talent under the "Specified Skilled Worker" program, to both residents in Japan and those living abroad. We also offer support services for foreign residents with "Specified Skilled Worker" status, with approximately 7,650 successful talent placements as of the end of March 2026. With the mission "Walk Together, Push Forward," we offer comprehensive support for foreign recruitment, including talent referrals, operation of the "Foreign Recruitment Support Net" information website, specialized training for foreign employment, and various seminars. We also provide support for foreign job seekers, such as career guidance for international students and preparation courses for the "Specified Skilled Worker" examinations.

[Contact Information for Inquiries]

Mynavi Global Corporation, PR Planning Department, Yoneyama/Miyamoto

Email: [email protected] Tel: 03-6267-4395