How to become 福祉事務所ケースワーカーeducation, training, experience, licenses and the steps to enter

Japan Social Services Confidence ★★★★★

Average annual pay
¥4.42M
≈ $28,086
Top pay (est.)
¥7.30M
Top 10% ¥6.34M
Pay in 5 years
¥5.19Mest.
2031
Pay in 10 years
¥6.11Mest.
¥5.25M–¥7.09M
Outlook score
65/100
★★★☆☆ Good
AI replacement risk
36%
Low
Labor demand
Very high
Openings-to-applicants 2.65x

How to become 福祉事務所ケースワーカー

The typical path in Japan is shown by the education, training and experience of current workers above and in the Japanese guidance below. A detailed English guide for this occupation is being prepared.

Guidance from job tag (Japanese)
まず、都道府県又は各市(特別区を含む)及び福祉事務所を設置する町村のいずれかの地方公務員試験に合格する必要がある。多くの場合、一般の行政職としての採用となる。入職後、福祉事務所に配属され、福祉事務所ケースワーカーの仕事をする。
 福祉事務所に勤務するケースワーカーについては、社会福祉法で社会福祉主事の資格が必要とされている。社会福祉主事になるには、大学や専門学校などで、厚生労働大臣が指定する社会福祉についての科目を修めて卒業しているか、指定養成機関又は講習会の課程を修了している必要がある。資格を持っていない人は、福祉事務所に配属された後、講習会に参加するなどして資格を取ることになる。
 社会福祉に対する情熱をもち、悩みをもつ人に対して深い関心があること、社会福祉関係の法律などについて詳しいことが求められる。

Skills, education and requirements for 福祉事務所ケースワーカー

Key skills

Active Listening
5.4
Service Orientation
5.1
Persuasion
4.6
Social Perceptiveness
4.6
Speaking
4.6
Coordination
4.5
Instructing
4.2
Complex Problem Solving
4.2

Skill levels from the MHLW job tag worker survey.

Key knowledge areas

Psychology
3.1
Therapy and Counseling
2.9
Administrative
2.8
Sociology and Anthropology
2.6
Customer and Personal Service
2.6
Medicine and Dentistry
2.0
Law and Government
1.9
Education and Training
1.8

What the work involves

Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal RelationshipsAssisting and Caring for OthersCommunicating with Supervisors, Peers, or SubordinatesCommunicating with People Outside the OrganizationUpdating and Using Relevant KnowledgeOrganizing, Planning, and Prioritizing WorkMaking Decisions and Solving ProblemsEvaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards

Important abilities

Problem SensitivityOral ExpressionWritten ExpressionOral ComprehensionDeductive ReasoningTime Sharing

Licenses and certifications (Japan)

No specific license or certification is required.

Education of workers

Training before entry

Related work experience

Difficulty of entry: ★★★☆☆ Moderate (from education, training, experience, licenses)

Career path and how to earn more as 福祉事務所ケースワーカー

Career-path guidance is being prepared. Pay by experience is shown in the Pay section.

Pay and employment figures are national statistics. Projected pay, outlook scores and AI replacement risk are estimates from the Shigoto Zukan model, not guarantees. To request a correction, use the contact form. How to read the data
Sources: Basic Survey on Wage Structure (2025), Population Census and Hello Work employment statistics as published on the MHLW job tag site (retrieved Nov 1, 2026); Occupational Information Database (JILPT). Pay ranges, projections and scores are Shigoto Zukan estimates.