The IT sector in Japan continues to expand, however, as Japan’s shrinking population makes it harder for employers to fill posts, more of them are opening their positions to foreigners. Also, many foreigners are thrilled to improve their careers in Japan, but what motivates foreigners to work in Japan?
We asked 100 Foreign IT Engineers about their reasons for the decision to work in the land of the rising sun and what found attractive on a job when chinging jobs in Japan. We will also share with you the current salary trend for IT engineers.

Reasons to Work in Japan

Japan is often said to be one of the most highly developed and technologically advanced nations in the world. Japan offers advanced technology in its major metropolises and beautiful landscapes that you can find just an hour away by train from Tokyo. We asked 100 foreign IT engineers their reasons to choose Japan as a work destination.

Future Career Advancement

Japan offers exceptional opportunities to grow both technical and non-technical skills by working with high-end technology, along with talented engineers from around the world. Japan continues to lead the world in science and engineering, but due to the shortage of domestic IT-skilled talent and an increasing need for organizations to look overseas to fill the talent gap more companies are hiring top talent from around the globe. Many companies in Japan encourage working with the latest technology and tools to improve the technical skills of their engineers. As for non-technical skills, you will be encouraged to improve your planning, process, and eye for detail skills.

Interest in Japanese Culture

Many foreigners emphasize Japanese politeness. People in Japan tend to go out of their way to be helpful to others, the care put in interactions with others is one of the highlights of Japanese culture, and this translates in the workplace as people making an effort to be pleasant and non-confrontational. Apart from this, the food, the people, the architecture and the “kawaii” culture seem to be quite attractive for foreigners.

Japan is Safe and Has a Good Living Environment

Japan is known for its relative safety with low crime levels, and Japanese cities are often globally ranked as the safest cities to live in. Japan puts a strong focus on crime prevention, making it less common to commit violent crimes. Violent crime in Japan is almost non-existent as the nation and its population value peace and prosperity over minor inconveniences or trifles that may lead to conflict.

What is Attractive When Changing Jobs in Japan?

In today’s highly competitive hiring landscape in Japan, IT engineers have endless work opportunities to choose from. Engineers are entering an expanding job market, which leads to more open jobs than skilled workers to fill them, that leaves employers at a disadvantage. So what exactly are foreign IT engineers putting weight on when choosing a job opportunity?

Able to Use Their Experience and Skills

Many foreigners consider that being able to transfer their skills and abilities gained from previous working experiences and use them in their future career is the main reason for them to choose a new job opportunity. Being able to transfer their skills to new positions will help them go beyond their job description.

The Job They Want to Do

IT engineers who quickly learn new skills and gain experience from various places and situations may want to take it to the next step, maybe by applying for a manager position or just a position that allows them to thrive in their desired industry.

Good Salary

A competitive salary is a key piece of talent attraction. Job seekers want to be paid their worth and to be compensated for the expertise and IT skills they bring to the table. Especially, in a competitive job market as it is Japan’s IT Industry. Check out our salary guide for up-to-date 2020 salary data found below that’ll help you stay competitive.

Current Salary Trend of IT Engineers- November 2020

This graph shows the results of a survey in which foreign IT engineers shared their current annual salary. From the pie chart, it is clear that the majority of foreign IT engineers in Japan, 42.7%, are below 4 million yen. Following the 29.2% earning more than 4 million and less than 6 million yen. 16.7% earns more than 6 million and less than 8 million yen and in the smaller group, only 11.5% earns more than 8 million yen.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the results of this survey have shown that many foreign IT engineers found many attractive points about living in Japan. And while the salary is not as high compared to other countries, Japan offers a lot of other perks that make the country attractive to foreigners who seek job opportunities abroad.
If you are a foreign IT engineer and you are thinking about changing jobs in Japan, please register to G Talent. G Talent is a recruitment agency specialized in foreign IT engineers, we work with start-ups and large companies that are eager to hire skilled foreign IT talent.