Mynavi Survey Shows 18.4% Drop in Foreigners Seeking 5-Year Japan Careers as Weak Yen Bites
Updated
Updated · Japan Today · Jul 12
Mynavi Survey Shows 18.4% Drop in Foreigners Seeking 5-Year Japan Careers as Weak Yen Bites
2 articles · Updated · Japan Today · Jul 12
Summary
63.3% of surveyed foreign residents said they want to work in Japan for five years or more, down 18.4% from a year earlier in Mynavi Global’s 2026 employment-attitudes survey.
A weak yen and rising consumer prices drove the shift, eroding the value of yen-based paychecks and making savings worth less when sent back to workers’ home countries.
34.2% now want to stay only two to five years, up 12.7%, while 12.7% said they hope to return home within a year, up 4.2%.
1,732 responses were collected in late January and early February, with 41.1% of respondents students and another 41.1% in specified-skill jobs—groups more exposed to low wages and inflation.
Vietnamese respondents showed one of the sharpest drops in long-term interest, down 18.4%, suggesting Japan’s appeal as a career destination is weakening most for workers on local pay scales.