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Other management, finance and insurance professionals

How to become a HR Consultant

Also called: Business adviser (chamber of commerce), Certified SME management consultant

Gives consulting on organisations and people at consulting firms and similar companies.

Main tasks

Workers in this job say university is common. From job tag's survey of people in each job, who could give several answers. It shows what workers see as common, not how many workers hold each level.

How to become one

No particular education or qualification is required for this job, but almost everyone has a university or postgraduate degree in business, economics or law. People usually join a company's HR department or a staffing business, gain about 5 to 10 years of experience, and then join a consulting firm and become consultants. Large consulting firms also hire new graduates, but many hires are mid-career. It takes new graduates nearly 10 years to understand companies' HR systems thoroughly and become fully skilled, so medium-sized and small consulting firms mostly hire mid-career people who can contribute straight away. Many people hold qualifications that are useful in the work, such as labour and social security attorney (sharoushi), certified SME management consultant, or an MBA (Master of Business Administration). After gaining experience as a consultant, some move to other consulting firms or set up their own business. Business depends on contacts, and even after setting up on your own you must keep working to widen your network. Some become university lecturers teaching business and management. You need logical thinking, communication skills and specialist knowledge of business, economics, law and similar fields. Change is speeding up, so you are also expected to keep your knowledge and skills up to date without delay.

Ways in

Pay · Job openings · AI and this job

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Questions people ask

How do I become a HR Consultant?

No particular education or qualification is required for this job, but almost everyone has a university or postgraduate degree in business, economics or law. People usually join a company's HR department or a staffing business, gain about 5 to 10 years of experience, and then join a consulting firm and become consultants. Large consulting firms also hire new graduates, but many hires are mid-career. It takes new graduates nearly 10 years to understand companies' HR systems thoroughly and become fully skilled, so medium-sized and small consulting firms mostly hire mid-career people who can contribute straight away. Many people hold qualifications that are useful in the work, such as labour and social security attorney (sharoushi), certified SME management consultant, or an MBA (Master of Business Administration). After gaining experience as a consultant, some move to other consulting firms or set up their own business. Business depends on contacts, and even after setting up on your own you must keep working to widen your network. Some become university lecturers teaching business and management. You need logical thinking, communication skills and specialist knowledge of business, economics, law and similar fields. Change is speeding up, so you are also expected to keep your knowledge and skills up to date without delay.

How much does a HR Consultant earn in Japan?

Average annual income in the private sector, bonus included, is ¥11,346,400 (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare). The figure is for the wage survey group Other management, finance and insurance professionals, which covers several jobs.

Do you need a degree to become a HR Consultant?

Usually. In this job's census occupation group, 83% of workers are university graduates.

Will AI change the work of a HR Consultant?

Generative AI could change some tasks in this job, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 解説系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_description_7_01.xlsx）ver.7.01 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 簡易版数値系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_numeric_7_00.xlsx）ver.7.00 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

Sources: JILPT Occupational Information Database download data via job tag (解説系 ver.7.01 and 簡易版数値系 ver.7.00, downloaded 4 October 2026), processed by Peernovo; MHLW, Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025; Statistics Bureau of Japan, 2020 Population Census; MEXT, School Basic Survey 2025; MHLW, Employment Referrals for General Workers (Hello Work statistics). Figures processed by Peernovo. English job names, translations and the matching of jobs to statistical groups, schools and degree fields by Peernovo.

Updated 4 October 2026