Overview
- Manufacturing employed 635,075 foreign workers (24.7% of the total), while medical and welfare roles posted the fastest year-on-year increase at 25.6%.
- Workplaces hiring foreign nationals reached a record 371,215, with businesses of fewer than 30 employees accounting for 63.1%.
- Holders of the Specified Skilled Worker visa rose 38.3% to 286,225, signaling continued policy-driven expansion in labor‑short industries.
- Vietnamese workers remained the largest cohort at 605,906, alongside sharp gains for Nepalese (+25.7% to 235,874) and Indonesians (+34.6% to 228,118).
- Separate immigration data show a record 42.43 million foreign entrants in 2025, driven in part by a weaker yen and increased international flights.