These professionals are well placed to find and keep jobs in Japan and hence their careers are future-proof. According to recruiting experts Hays in Japan, Financial Planning & Analysis, IT Security and Data Science professions make the list of Japanese experts who do not need to ‘future-proof’ their career.

Since the demand for their skills is very high, and experts in such fields being in short supply, these professionals are confident of finding potential job opportunities in the future.

According to the latest Hays Japan Quarterly Report of skills in demand, experienced Internal Auditors, Compliance Officers, Payrollers, Big Data Developers, Claims Adjustors, Lawyers, Regulatory Affairs Specialists and Key Account Managers are also in high demand. These professionals are not expected to see demand any time soon.

“They don’t need to ‘future-proof’ themselves as they already have the technical skills and experience employers will continue to need in future years,” says Marc Burrage, Managing Director of Hays in Japan.

“Provided they keep their skills up to date, remain connected to their industry through social media, networking and their recruiter, and are digitally literate, professionals in these areas will experience ongoing career success.”

If your profession doesn’t appear on the skills in demand list then, Marc suggests you consider up-skilling. “Consider expanding your technical skills and experience, either through training or by moving to another organisation where you can gain exposure to new industries or a wider client base.”

See: Bright Prospects for Japan’s Job Market after 23 Years

Here is a list of future-proof career choices in Japan. These professionals have no reason to worry about their career plans for future, they are:

• Financial Planning and Analysis: This is another area of acute shortage with many roles open for extended periods of time given the challenge involved in securing suitable candidates. Some employers are settling for non-financial planning and analysis experienced candidates to cope with the serious shortage of qualified people.
• Compliance: Experienced Compliance Officers are sought by banks in response to the current regulatory environment in financial services.
• IT security: Companies are anxious to strengthen their security systems and policies and practices safeguarding information. Financial firms in particular are only too aware of global companies hitting the headlines after being hacked and losing customer data.
• Payroll: Payroll specialists are sought for in-house roles. Although many companies are outsourcing part of the payroll process, they want an in-house specialist to ensure a higher level of accuracy and deliver a better level of service to employees.
• Big Data Development: Big Data Developers are needed to design, develop, build and implement large-scale data processing systems. Candidates with strong experience using open source frameworks to build applications plus a deep knowledge of Apache database management technologies HBASE and/or Cassandra and good development skills using either Java or Microsoft technologies are needed.
• Claims adjustment: Claim Adjustors are an ongoing area of demand in response to high turnover. Candidates in strongest demand are those with a direct selling background in insurance who can help businesses grow. Experienced candidates with more than five years’ experience are in particularly high demand.
• Lawyers: The number of Japanese in-house Bengoshi’s with English language skills is too few in number to satisfy market demand.
• Regulatory Affairs: Regulatory Affairs Specialists in Life Sciences will remain in high demand because Japan typically faces a longer approval process compared to other countries.
• Application Engineers: Huge demand is seen for candidates with prior experience working in tier 1 automotive companies due to the number of design projects leveraging new technologies being launched by car makers.

“Plan your career progression, and make sure you are digitally proficient and up-to-date with the latest technological advances related to your job function and industry. Today everyone needs the ability to lean into the changes of a digital world,” Marc added.

Also read: Bilingual Professionals in Japan Expect Pay Rise of At Least 10%