ソフトウェア開発(パッケージソフト) ソフトウェア開発(パッケージソフト)

Japan IT & Software 分類:02_009-01 Confidence ★★★★★

Average annual pay
¥5.78M
≈ $36,787
Top pay (est.)
¥10.01M
Top 10% ¥8.60M
Pay in 5 years
¥6.22Mest.
2031
Pay in 10 years
¥6.69Mest.
¥5.75M–¥7.77M
Outlook score
37/100
★★☆☆☆ Below average
AI replacement risk
79%
High
Labor demand
Average
Openings-to-applicants 1.45x

What ソフトウェア開発(パッケージソフト) do

An English description is being prepared. Japanese description:

パソコンにインストールするパッケージソフト(既成品のソフトウェア)を企画・開発する。
 パッケージソフトはパソコンショップやネットを通じて販売されている。これらのソフトウェアを開発している会社は、ソフトの企画から開発、アップデート等を行っている。
 ソフトウェアを開発する場合、どのようなものにするかが重要であり、機能や使いやすさを考慮する必要がある。そのためソフト開発においては、企画を重視している。
 ソフトウェア開発の流れをみると、パッケージソフトの企画、設計を行い、利用するユーザーを想定し、ソフトウェアの開発、プログラミングを行う。できあがったソフトのテストを行い、バグや不具合を修正していく。
 パッケージソフト販売後もアップデート等修正プログラムの作成を行う。既存のソフトのバージョンアップを行うことも必要である。このような場合はユーザーの意見や要望を反映し、ソフトの仕様を検討する。
 パソコンをネットに接続し、クラウドでの処理を前提とした利用が広がっているが、セキュリティの面からパソコンにインストールしたほうがよい会計ソフト、また、ネットを通じた処理が向かない動画編集ソフト、画像編集ソフト、統計解析ソフト、さらにウイルス対策ソフトのように、インストールして使うことが前提となるソフトもある。

◇ よく使う道具、機材、情報技術等
 開発環境(Visual Studio他)、プログラミング言語(C言語他)、プレゼンテーション用ソフト(Power Point等)、表計算ソフト(Excel、Googleスプレッドシート等)、データベース(SQL Server等)、Windows、ストレージシステム(外付けHDD、クラウドストレッジ)、パソコン

Employment type of workers

ソフトウェア開発(パッケージソフト) salary

The average annual pay for ソフトウェア開発(パッケージソフト) in Japan is ¥5.78M (≈ $36,787; Basic Survey on Wage Structure (2025), national). The estimated median is ¥5.38M, the typical range is ¥3.91M–¥10.01M and the top 10% earn about ¥8.60M.

Average pay
¥5.78M
≈ $36,787
Median (est.)
¥5.38M
≈ $34,213
Low end (est.)
¥3.91M
Entry level, early 20s
Top 10% (est.)
¥8.60M
≈ $54,690
Top pay (est.)
¥10.01M
≈ $63,657
Hourly wage
¥2,819
2.4× the national minimum wage (¥1,177)
Advertised monthly wage
¥347,000
vs. last year +¥10,000

How does your pay compare with people your age?

Your numbers are not sent or stored. The distribution is estimated from Japan's national wage statistics, including pay differences by age.

Pay by ageest.

20s
¥4.65M
30s
¥5.57M
40s
¥6.36M
50s
¥7.08M

Estimated from the average pay and average age (37.1) using the age-wage curve of the Basic Survey on Wage Structure.

Pay by experienceest.

Entry level
¥4.29M
1–3 yrs
¥4.79M
3–5 yrs
¥5.29M
5–10 yrs
¥5.93M
10+ yrs
¥6.68M

Pay by employment typeest.

Full-time employee ¥5.78MPart-time ¥2.43MFreelance / self-employed ¥6.07MContract / temp ¥4.51M

The average hourly wage of ¥2,819 is 2.4× Japan's national average minimum wage of ¥1,177 (fiscal 2026). Minimum wage by prefecture →

Japanese pay is shown in yen (¥5.57M = 5.57 million yen ≈ 557万円). Dollar figures use the current rate of 157.25 yen per dollar and are for reference only; purchasing power differs.

Pay over time

YearAverage payEmploymentOpenings ratio
2021¥5.23M——
2022¥5.50M——
2023¥5.58M—1.53x
2024¥5.74M—1.53x
2025¥5.78M—1.45x

How median, percentiles and the pay range are defined →

Projected pay for ソフトウェア開発(パッケージソフト) (3, 5 and 10 years)est.

Today ¥5.78M → in 3 years ¥6.04M → in 5 years ¥6.22M → in 10 years ¥6.69M (10-year range ¥5.75M–¥7.77M). The model assumes pay growth of +1.5% per year.

¥5.78M
Now
2026
¥6.04M
In 3 yrs
2029
¥5.58M–¥6.58M
¥6.22M
In 5 yrs
2031
¥5.60M–¥6.93M
¥6.69M
In 10 yrs
2036
¥5.75M–¥7.77M

What drives the annual growth rate

Base wage growth +1.8%Labor demand +0.12%Wage momentum +0.41%AI impact -0.87%Total +1.5% / yr

Projected pay = current pay × (1 + annual growth)^years. The annual growth rate starts from a base wage-growth rate and adds or subtracts labor demand (the job-openings-to-applicants ratio), wage momentum and AI replacement risk for each occupation. Projections are not guarantees. How it is calculated →

Outlook score for ソフトウェア開発(パッケージソフト)

37/100
★★☆☆☆
Below average · ranked #495 of all Japanese occupations
AI resistance
21 pts
Entry barrier
43 pts
Pay level
65 pts
Labor demand
47 pts
Wage momentum
39 pts
Aging workforce
2 pts

Each component is a percentile rank among all occupations in the same country (0–100). Weights: labor demand 25, wage momentum / openings 15, pay level 15, AI resistance 25, aging workforce 10 (Japan only), entry barrier 10.

Will AI replace ソフトウェア開発(パッケージソフト)? AI replacement risk

79%
High
Ranked #491 safest from AI among all Japanese occupations
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

How AI is changing this job

A written analysis for this occupation is being prepared.

AI replacement risk compares the parts of a job that are easy to hand to AI or software (processing information, documentation, repetitive computer work) with the parts that are hard to automate (physical work, working closely with people, judgment in unpredictable settings), using the MHLW job tag survey on work activities, work context, skills and knowledge. The result is a relative position among all occupations in the country, scaled to 0–100%. Methodology →

Labor demand for ソフトウェア開発(パッケージソフト)

Openings-to-applicants ratio
1.45x
ranked #280 of all Japanese jobs
Demand score
Average
45/100
Advertised monthly wage
¥347,000
Hello Work postings
Workers
—
Population Census
Average age
37.1
Hours per month
159
Openings in 5 years
+1.7%
est.
Openings in 10 years
+3.1%
est.

A ratio above 1.0 means there are more job openings than applicants (a labor shortage). The 5- and 10-year figures are estimates from the openings ratio, wage momentum and AI replacement risk.

The same job in the United States

ソフトウェア開発(パッケージソフト)
Japan
Software Developers
United States
Median / average pay¥5.78M
≈ $36,787
$135,980
Pay in 10 years (est.)¥6.69M$174,600
Outlook score3759
AI replacement risk79% High76% High
Workers—1.7M

Matched by occupation (SOC code). Yen converted at 157.25 JPY/USD for reference; Japanese figures are averages, U.S. figures are medians, and the surveys define occupations differently.

Skills, education and requirements for ソフトウェア開発(パッケージソフト)

Key skills

Reading Comprehension
4.9
Programming
4.9
Writing
4.6
Technology Design
4.4
Operations Analysis
4.4
Speaking
4.4
Active Listening
4.3
Quality Control Analysis
4.2

Skill levels from the MHLW job tag worker survey.

Key knowledge areas

Computers and Electronics
2.9
Administrative
2.1
Telecommunications
2.0
Mathematics
2.0
Design
2.0
Communications and Media
1.9
English Language
1.7
Customer and Personal Service
1.6

What the work involves

Working with ComputersUpdating and Using Relevant KnowledgeThinking CreativelyProcessing InformationJudging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or PeopleAnalyzing Data or InformationMaking Decisions and Solving ProblemsOrganizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work

Important abilities

Problem SensitivityWritten ComprehensionInductive ReasoningDeductive ReasoningWritten ExpressionFluency of Ideas

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)

How to become ソフトウェア開発(パッケージソフト)

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)
入職にあたって、特に学歴や資格は必要とされないが、専門学校、高専、大学等の卒業生が多い。新卒で就職する場合もあるが、20代~30代前半までは他業種からの中途採用者も多い。入職後は、実際の開発を通して経験を積んでいくことになるが、ソフトウェア開発者として一人前と認められるまでには4から5年かかるとされている。経験を積んでマネジメントの仕事をするようになったり、フリーランスになったり、独立する者もいる。
 開発環境や開発言語を使いこなせることが求められ、インターネットやストレージシステムといった関連知識やスキルの習得も求められる。ソフト開発はチームで行うことが多いため、自分の考えを過不足なく伝え、チーム内で協力し、開発を進めることができるコミュニケーション能力が重要である。新規商品の企画に関わる場合は、市場動向やユーザーのニーズを的確に把握して商品化できるマーケティングの知識も必要である。
 個人でシェアウェアとして開発し、ネット上で販売する者もいる。

Career path and how to earn more as ソフトウェア開発(パッケージソフト)

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.