Average length of service
16.3 yrs
Long even among clerical jobs(MHLW)
Share of women
40.5%
Production-related clerical work (companies with 10+ employees)(MHLW)
Age profile
Largest group: 50–54
Ages 25–29 are less than half the 50–54 group(MHLW)
01The work
| Production control | Production planning (schedules and workloads), tracking progress, inventory control, adjusting delivery dates, running the production management system. |
|---|---|
| Purchasing and procurement | Selecting and evaluating suppliers, quotes and price negotiation, placing orders, following up on deliveries, managing terms of trade. |
| Materials and logistics | Receiving parts and materials, warehouse management, arranging shipments. |
Options include mass-production makers (detailed plans, highly systemized), build-to-order and high-mix low-volume production (lots of delivery-date coordination with customers), and trading companies and EMS providers (mainly procurement) (author’s summary).
02Job demand
About four times general clerical work. However, it has fallen four years in a row from 1.76 in FY2022.
REF / Sources
- 一般職業紹介状況（長期時系列表 第21表）・雇用関係指標（年度） — Employment Referrals for General Workers (long-term time series, Table 21) and annual employment indicators (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), released May and Aug 2026 (FY2025 figures))Jobs-to-applicants ratio (有効求人倍率) for regular jobs at Hello Work, including part-time; not seasonally adjusted. Does not include openings on private job sites or through recruitment agencies.
03Pay (estimated annual pay)
Average age 45.7, average length of service 16.3 years. Company size makes a big difference: about ¥6.76M at companies with 1,000+ employees and about ¥4.49M at companies with 10–99.
REF / Sources
- 令和7年賃金構造基本統計調査 — Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025 (full-time workers, by occupation) (MHLW, published Mar 2026)Full-time (general) workers at companies with 10+ employees, men and women combined. The "estimated annual pay" is our own calculation — monthly scheduled cash earnings × 12 + annual bonuses — not an official annual income figure.
04Qualifications and licenses
- No qualification is required
- Experience in planning, coordination and negotiation, and skill with systems and spreadsheets, are what count.
- Business Career Test（ビジネス・キャリア検定）: production management and other fields
- Run by the Japan Vocational Ability Development Association（中央職業能力開発協会）. Based on MHLW’s Occupational Skill Standards（職業能力評価基準）.
- Nissho Bookkeeping Test（日商簿記）
- Useful as a basis for cost accounting.
05Rules at work
Toriteki Act（中小受託取引適正化法／取適法）, in force Jan 1, 2026
The Subcontract Act（下請法）was revised and renamed. Changes include a ban on payment by promissory notes, a ban on setting prices unilaterally without agreeing to consult, and new coverage criteria based on number of employees. It directly affects purchase orders, payment terms and how price negotiations are run in purchasing.
REF: Japan Fair Trade Commission, “中小受託取引適正化法（取適法）関係 — Act on fair transactions with small and medium-sized contractors (Toriteki Act)”
06Who it suits
A rough guide based on the work itself. Even if these don’t describe you, it can be worth finding out on a visit or trial shift.
- You can build a schedule and rebuild it when things change
- You don’t mind standing between sales, production and suppliers to coordinate
- You want to put office experience to work in manufacturing
07What to check on a visit or trial shift
CHECKLIST / Production control & purchasing (tick as you go)
What to bring and wear, and the points common to every job, are in the how-to guide.
REF / Sources for this page
- 一般職業紹介状況（長期時系列表 第21表）・雇用関係指標（年度） — Employment Referrals for General Workers (long-term time series, Table 21) and annual employment indicators (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), released May and Aug 2026 (FY2025 figures))Jobs-to-applicants ratio (有効求人倍率) for regular jobs at Hello Work, including part-time; not seasonally adjusted. Does not include openings on private job sites or through recruitment agencies.
- 令和7年賃金構造基本統計調査 — Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025 (full-time workers, by occupation) (MHLW, published Mar 2026)Full-time (general) workers at companies with 10+ employees, men and women combined. The "estimated annual pay" is our own calculation — monthly scheduled cash earnings × 12 + annual bonuses — not an official annual income figure.
- 中小受託取引適正化法（取適法）関係 — Act on fair transactions with small and medium-sized contractors (Toriteki Act) (Japan Fair Trade Commission, in force Jan 1, 2026)
NEXT → VISIT / TRIAL SHIFT
Production control & purchasing:
see the workplace before you join.
Apply for a visit or trial shift in the app, with no résumé or interview.
Find a workplace on CuraThe Cura app is in Japanese.