Monoxer Publishes 'Foreign Worker Education White Paper 2026'
Monoxer published a white paper revealing that over 80% of companies want to promote foreign talent to leadership, yet 70% struggle with education programs.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 15, 2026 at 19:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 15, 2026 at 10:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 19, 2026 at 13:29 (98h 57m after Collected)
Monoxer Inc. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, CEOs: Kotaro Takeuchi, Keisuke Kuroyanagi), which provides the memory platform 'Monoxer', has published the 'Foreign Worker Education White Paper 2026', a comprehensive analysis of the current status and challenges surrounding the education of foreign workers.
■ Background and Significance of Publishing the White Paper
The worsening labor shortage and expectations for foreign workers
Japan's population decline has already entered a structural phase, and the labor shortage has become a long-term social problem. According to population estimates by the Statistics Bureau of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Japan's total population has continued to decline since peaking in 2008, dropping to 123,802,000 as of October 2024. Furthermore, future projections by the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research indicate that the working-age population (15-64 years old) is expected to fall below 60 million in the 2040s.
Under these circumstances, the presence of foreign workers is increasing year by year. According to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the number of foreign workers reached a record high of 2,302,587 as of October 2024, and in fields with labor shortages such as the construction industry, foreign talent has become an important bearer supporting the work sites.
To be a 'Country of Choice' | The education system is being questioned
On the other hand, the reality is that many companies have education systems and career designs that have not kept up with the expansion of acceptance. Japanese language education, safety education, and skills education tend not to be systematized and are left to the on-site staff, and it cannot be said that the system is fully equipped to systematically train foreign workers for management and leadership positions.
Furthermore, as global competition for talent acquisition intensifies, South Korea's wage level has surpassed Japan's, and the value of remittances has also declined due to the weak yen. For Japan to remain a 'country of choice' for foreign workers, it is essential to improve not only wages but also career paths and educational environments.
Based on this situation, this white paper was published to propose a mechanism to continuously train foreign workers into active human resources by reconsidering the outcome of education from the perspective of 'retention' rather than mere 'execution'.
■ Survey Overview
This white paper is based on two large-scale surveys conducted via internet survey format, with IDEATECH Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo, President: Tomoo Ishikawa) as the survey implementing agency.
Survey for employing companies
Survey Title: [Employing Company Edition] Fact-finding Survey on Foreign Worker Education
Target Audience: Persons in charge of recruitment and training at companies (with 100 or more employees) that employ foreign workers (construction, manufacturing, services [accommodation, food and beverage, nursing care])
Survey Period: December 16, 2025 to December 17, 2025
Valid Responses: 1,067
Survey for employment support organizations
Survey Title: [Employment Support Organization Edition] Fact-finding Survey on Foreign Worker Education
Target Audience: Managers and persons in charge of organizations involved in accepting and supporting the employment of foreign workers (supervising organizations, registered support organizations, recruitment agencies, etc.)
Survey Period: December 15, 2025 to December 16, 2025
Valid Responses: 111
This white paper can be downloaded for free from the following URL.
http://corp.monoxer.com/enterprise/download/foreign-worker-report
■ Survey Results Summary
81.3% are positive about promoting foreign workers to management/leadership positions
In response to the question of whether they want to promote foreign workers to management/leadership positions in the future, 81.3% of companies showed positive intentions ('Want to actively promote' 31.7%, 'Want to promote if conditions are met' 49.6%).
It became clear that the vast majority of companies expect foreign workers not merely as a labor force but as core personnel of the organization.
71.1% have issues with the operation of educational programs
On the other hand, when asked about systematic educational programs to train them for management/leadership positions, the combined answers of 'We have a program but it is not fully operational' (27.6%), 'We do not have a program but handle it individually through OJT, etc.' (29.5%), and 'We do not have a program and do not conduct any specific education' (14.0%) reached 71.1%. Despite the high intention to promote, the reality that the education system has not kept up was revealed.
Reasons why educational programs have not been established
As for the reasons why educational programs have not been fully established,
■ Background and Significance of Publishing the White Paper
The worsening labor shortage and expectations for foreign workers
Japan's population decline has already entered a structural phase, and the labor shortage has become a long-term social problem. According to population estimates by the Statistics Bureau of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Japan's total population has continued to decline since peaking in 2008, dropping to 123,802,000 as of October 2024. Furthermore, future projections by the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research indicate that the working-age population (15-64 years old) is expected to fall below 60 million in the 2040s.
Under these circumstances, the presence of foreign workers is increasing year by year. According to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the number of foreign workers reached a record high of 2,302,587 as of October 2024, and in fields with labor shortages such as the construction industry, foreign talent has become an important bearer supporting the work sites.
To be a 'Country of Choice' | The education system is being questioned
On the other hand, the reality is that many companies have education systems and career designs that have not kept up with the expansion of acceptance. Japanese language education, safety education, and skills education tend not to be systematized and are left to the on-site staff, and it cannot be said that the system is fully equipped to systematically train foreign workers for management and leadership positions.
Furthermore, as global competition for talent acquisition intensifies, South Korea's wage level has surpassed Japan's, and the value of remittances has also declined due to the weak yen. For Japan to remain a 'country of choice' for foreign workers, it is essential to improve not only wages but also career paths and educational environments.
Based on this situation, this white paper was published to propose a mechanism to continuously train foreign workers into active human resources by reconsidering the outcome of education from the perspective of 'retention' rather than mere 'execution'.
■ Survey Overview
This white paper is based on two large-scale surveys conducted via internet survey format, with IDEATECH Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo, President: Tomoo Ishikawa) as the survey implementing agency.
Survey for employing companies
Survey Title: [Employing Company Edition] Fact-finding Survey on Foreign Worker Education
Target Audience: Persons in charge of recruitment and training at companies (with 100 or more employees) that employ foreign workers (construction, manufacturing, services [accommodation, food and beverage, nursing care])
Survey Period: December 16, 2025 to December 17, 2025
Valid Responses: 1,067
Survey for employment support organizations
Survey Title: [Employment Support Organization Edition] Fact-finding Survey on Foreign Worker Education
Target Audience: Managers and persons in charge of organizations involved in accepting and supporting the employment of foreign workers (supervising organizations, registered support organizations, recruitment agencies, etc.)
Survey Period: December 15, 2025 to December 16, 2025
Valid Responses: 111
This white paper can be downloaded for free from the following URL.
http://corp.monoxer.com/enterprise/download/foreign-worker-report
■ Survey Results Summary
81.3% are positive about promoting foreign workers to management/leadership positions
In response to the question of whether they want to promote foreign workers to management/leadership positions in the future, 81.3% of companies showed positive intentions ('Want to actively promote' 31.7%, 'Want to promote if conditions are met' 49.6%).
It became clear that the vast majority of companies expect foreign workers not merely as a labor force but as core personnel of the organization.
71.1% have issues with the operation of educational programs
On the other hand, when asked about systematic educational programs to train them for management/leadership positions, the combined answers of 'We have a program but it is not fully operational' (27.6%), 'We do not have a program but handle it individually through OJT, etc.' (29.5%), and 'We do not have a program and do not conduct any specific education' (14.0%) reached 71.1%. Despite the high intention to promote, the reality that the education system has not kept up was revealed.
Reasons why educational programs have not been established
As for the reasons why educational programs have not been fully established,