Overtime (monthly average)
18–19 hrs
Metal machine tool operation and welding. All occupations: 11 hrs(MHLW)
Applicants, Trade Skill Test “Machining”
18,427
FY2025. 10,155 passed(MHLW)
Turnover rate, manufacturing
9.8%
2025. All industries: 13.7%(MHLW)
01The work
| Machining (cutting) | Cutting parts on lathes, milling machines, machining centers and NC machines. Often includes setup, editing NC programs and measuring dimensions. |
|---|---|
| Welding and cutting | Arc welding (shielded metal arc, semi-automatic, TIG), operating and teaching welding robots, cutting steel. Fabrication, steel structures, shipbuilding, construction machinery, rolling stock and more. |
| Machine assembly | Fitting, adjusting, wiring and testing parts. There is line assembly (cars, home appliances) and one-unit-at-a-time assembly of machine tools and equipment. |
Line assembly at large makers tends to involve shift work and more overtime, with higher pay. Parts machining and fabrication at smaller firms is mostly day shifts, and you are more likely to become a multi-skilled worker who handles several processes (this is the author’s summary, not official statistics).
02Job demand
Metalworking has roughly two openings for every job seeker. Machine assembly is below 1, meaning there are more job seekers than openings. Separate ratios for machining only or welding only are not published.
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)
Company size makes a big difference: metal machine tool operation averages about ¥6.44M at companies with 1,000+ employees and about ¥4.42M 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
- National Trade Skill Test（技能検定）: machining, finishing, ironwork, factory sheet metal, etc.
- A national test. Not required, but passing lets you call yourself a certified skilled worker（技能士）. Some companies use it as a promotion requirement.
- JIS Welder Qualification Test（JIS溶接技能者評価試験）
- A private certification by the Japan Welding Engineering Society（日本溶接協会）. Not a legal license, but customers and clients often ask for it.
- Special safety training for arc welding（アーク溶接等の特別教育）
- Training the employer must provide before you do arc welding work (Industrial Safety and Health Act（労働安全衛生法）).
- Forklift, slinging（玉掛け）and crane qualifications
- Sometimes required in assembly and fabrication shops. They need a skill training course（技能講習）or special safety training（特別教育）.
REF / Sources
- 令和7年度「技能検定」の実施状況 — National Trade Skill Test（技能検定）results, FY2025 (MHLW, Aug 17, 2026)
05Rules at work
Welding fume rules (in force Apr 1, 2021)
Welding fumes from metal arc welding and similar work became a Class 2 Specified Chemical Substance（特定化学物質 第2類）. At workplaces where welding is done indoors on a continuing basis, employers must provide ventilation, measure concentrations, have workers use respirators (fit testing from April 2023), and run special health checkups（特殊健康診断）, among other duties.
REF: MHLW, “特定化学物質障害予防規則・作業環境測定基準等の改正（溶接ヒューム） — Amendments on welding fumes (Ordinance on Prevention of Hazards Due to Specified Chemical Substances, etc.)”
Overtime cap（時間外労働の上限規制）
Applies to manufacturing just as to other industries (large companies from April 2019, SMEs from April 2020). The basic limit is 45 hours a month and 360 hours a year.
REF: MHLW, “時間外労働の上限規制（働き方改革特設サイト） — Overtime cap (Work Style Reform website)”
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 get a real sense of achievement when a part comes out exactly to the drawing
- You notice small differences in the same task — the sound, the feel, the sparks
- You want to prove your skills with qualifications and the Trade Skill Test
07What to check on a visit or trial shift
CHECKLIST / Skilled production work (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.
- 令和7年度「技能検定」の実施状況 — National Trade Skill Test（技能検定）results, FY2025 (MHLW, Aug 17, 2026)
- 令和7年雇用動向調査結果の概況 — Survey on Employment Trends 2025, summary (MHLW, published Aug 31, 2026)
- 特定化学物質障害予防規則・作業環境測定基準等の改正（溶接ヒューム） — Amendments on welding fumes (Ordinance on Prevention of Hazards Due to Specified Chemical Substances, etc.) (MHLW, in force Apr 1, 2021)
- 時間外労働の上限規制（働き方改革特設サイト） — Overtime cap (Work Style Reform website) (MHLW, applies from Apr 2019 (large companies) and Apr 2020 (SMEs))
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