# Employment insurance (雇用保険) in Japan for foreign workers URL: https://japanhow.com/money/insurance/employment-insurance-japan-foreigners/ Author: JapanHow editors Updated: Oct 26, 2026 ## Summary Employment insurance (雇用保険) in Japan covers foreign workers on the same terms as Japanese workers. You are enrolled if you work at least 20 scheduled hours a week and are expected to be employed for 31 days or more. Daytime students are excluded. As of October 2026, you pay 0.5% of your wages and a general-business employer pays 0.85%. It funds unemployment pay, training grants and childcare leave pay. From October 2028 the weekly minimum falls to 10 hours. ## Key facts - Who is enrolled: 20+ hours a week, 31+ days - Your premium (FY2026): 0.5% of wages - Not covered: Daytime students, under 20 hours - Minimum hours from Oct 2028: 10 a week Yes, foreign workers are covered by **employment insurance** (雇用保険) in Japan, on the same terms as Japanese workers. You are enrolled if you work **20 or more scheduled hours a week** and are expected to be employed for **31 days or more**. As of October 2026, you pay **0.5% of your wages** and your employer pays more. Daytime students are excluded. ## Do foreigners have to join employment insurance in Japan? Yes. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (厚生労働省) says labor and social insurance laws apply to foreigners **regardless of nationality**. Your employer enrolls you. You do not apply yourself. You are insured when both are true: - **20 hours or more** of scheduled work a week. - A job expected to last **31 days or more**. The 31-day test is met unless it is clear the job will end sooner. A contract shorter than 31 days still counts if it says it may be renewed, or if similar contracts have lasted 31 days or more. ### Who is not covered? The Employment Insurance Act excludes, among others: - People with **under 20 scheduled hours** a week. - People not expected to work 31 days or more for the same employer. - **Daytime students** (昼間学生). - Employees of national and local government. - Some seasonal workers and day laborers. If you are on a student status and work part-time, you are normally not enrolled. Whether a particular course counts as daytime is decided case by case, so ask Hello Work, the public employment office. Agency (dispatch) workers on daily contracts or contracts of 30 days or less may instead be enrolled as day-laborer insured persons. ## How much is employment insurance in Japan? Your premium is a percentage of your total wages, taken from your pay. The rates below run from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027. | Business type | You pay | Employer pays | |---|---|---| | General business | 0.5% | 0.85% | | Agriculture, forestry, fisheries, sake brewing | 0.6% | 0.95% | | Construction | 0.6% | 1.05% | On ¥300,000 of wages in a general business, you pay **¥1,500**. The rate was 0.55% in FY2025 (April 2025 to March 2026). The employer's share includes 0.35% (0.45% in construction) for employment programs that workers do not pay. For other deductions, see [take-home pay in Japan](/money/tax/take-home-pay-japan/). ## What does employment insurance pay for? More than unemployment pay. According to Hello Work, it covers job loss, self-funded vocational training, childcare leave and shorter hours. - **Unemployment pay.** The basic allowance (基本手当) needs 12 insured months in the 2 years before you leave. Amounts, waiting times and the claim steps are in [unemployment benefits in Japan for foreigners](/money/benefits/unemployment-benefits-japan-foreigners/). - **Training grants** (教育訓練給付金). Since 1 October 2024, up to 80% of the course cost for designated courses, up from 70%. - **Training leave benefit.** From 1 October 2025, a new benefit like the basic allowance for insured people who take leave from work to study. - **Childcare leave benefits** (育児休業給付). Paid to insured parents on childcare leave. See [maternity and childcare leave](/work/leave/maternity-childcare-leave-japan/) for the leave itself. ## How do I check that my employer enrolled me? Foreign workers are sometimes missed. Your employer must also tell Hello Work your status of residence (在留資格) when you start and when you leave. Failure to report can bring a fine of up to ¥300,000 for the employer. Special permanent residents and 外交 or 公用 status holders are outside this reporting duty. If you should have been enrolled but weren't, you can be enrolled **retroactively**. When you leave, ask for your separation notice (離職票), which you need to claim benefits. **Not sure you are enrolled?:** Enrollment is the employer's job and the form is in Japanese. If you suspect you were never enrolled, Hello Work can check your case. For visa questions, ask a licensed immigration specialist (行政書士). ## What changes in October 2028? The minimum is set to fall from 20 to **10 scheduled hours a week** from **1 October 2028**, under a law passed in May 2024. More part-time workers will then be insured. We have not confirmed the detailed rules, so check Hello Work closer to the date. ## More guides - [Unemployment benefits in Japan for foreigners](/money/benefits/unemployment-benefits-japan-foreigners/) - [National Health Insurance for foreigners](/money/insurance/national-health-insurance-japan-foreigners/) - [Japanese pension for foreigners](/money/pension/japan-pension-foreigners/) - [Labor rights for foreign workers](/work/rights/labor-rights-foreign-workers-japan/) - [Quitting a job in Japan and your visa](/work/jobs/quitting-job-japan-visa/) ## Questions people ask ### Do foreigners have to pay employment insurance in Japan? Yes, if you meet the conditions. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare says labor and social insurance laws apply to foreigners the same as Japanese. You are insured with 20 or more scheduled hours a week and an expected job of 31 days or more. ### How much is employment insurance in Japan? For FY2026 (April 2026 to March 2027), employees in a general business pay 0.5% of wages and the employer pays 0.85%. That is ¥1,500 on ¥300,000 of wages. Construction and farming rates are higher. ### What is the employment insurance card in Japan? It is the insured person's certificate (雇用保険被保険者証). Hello Work advises checking while you are employed that you have it. Your employer enrolls you by filing a form with Hello Work. ### Can a student on a part-time job get employment insurance? Daytime students (昼間学生) are excluded under the Employment Insurance Act. If you work part-time while studying, you are normally not enrolled. Ask Hello Work if your case is unclear. ### Is employment insurance only for unemployment pay? No. It also pays training grants of up to 80% of course costs, a benefit for training leave from October 2025, and childcare leave benefits. ## Sources - [外国人労働者の雇用保険手続きをお忘れなく！](https://www.mhlw.go.jp/seisakunitsuite/bunya/koyou_roudou/koyou/gaikokujin/dl/250318.pdf), Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (厚生労働省) (accessed Oct 26, 2026) - [令和８年度 雇用保険料率のご案内](https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/001692566.pdf), Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (厚生労働省) (accessed Oct 26, 2026) - [雇用保険の適用拡大について](https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/11601000/001159861.pdf), Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (厚生労働省) (accessed Oct 26, 2026) - [令和６年雇用保険制度改正（令和10年10月１日施行分）について](https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/11601000/001542937.pdf), Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (厚生労働省) (accessed Oct 26, 2026) - [雇用保険制度の概要](https://www.hellowork.mhlw.go.jp/insurance/insurance_summary.html), Hello Work (MHLW) (accessed Oct 26, 2026) - [雇用保険の具体的な手続き](https://www.hellowork.mhlw.go.jp/insurance/insurance_procedure.html), Hello Work (MHLW) (accessed Oct 26, 2026) - [基本手当について](https://www.hellowork.mhlw.go.jp/insurance/insurance_basicbenefit.html), Hello Work (MHLW) (accessed Oct 26, 2026)