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System consultants and designers

How to become an IT Consultant

Also called: ERP package consultant, Systems analyst, Systems consultant, Information security consultant

Gives consulting, proposals and advice on clients' IT strategies.

Main tasks

Workers in this job say university or a master's degree 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

People usually graduate from a university or postgraduate programme in information science or business and gain practical experience at user companies, consulting firms, IT companies or similar. In most cases the job is done by people with long experience of building and running IT systems, or by people who have worked on many kinds of management consulting and have strong IT skills. On the other hand, now that digital technology and tools are commonplace, routes into the job are becoming more varied, for example people using their own workplace experience to become IT or DX consultants. You build your skills by repeatedly going through the whole process of consulting on clients' IT and DX strategies, promoting digitalisation and actually installing systems for clients. Both management and digital technology need a very wide range of knowledge and skills, so people often have areas of strength in particular industries or systems. IT consultants need to understand the client, the market, the industry and relevant laws well, and be able to devise business strategies that use digital technology. Knowledge and experience of software, hardware, networks and cloud services are also important. You need to keep an accurate grasp of changes in business and society, and because digital technology moves especially fast, it is important to keep gathering information on new technologies and products. The ability to choose the best tool from what is available now is also important, and you are expected to work out objectively what is best for the client.

Ways in

Pay · Job openings · AI and this job

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Questions people ask

How do I become an IT Consultant?

People usually graduate from a university or postgraduate programme in information science or business and gain practical experience at user companies, consulting firms, IT companies or similar. In most cases the job is done by people with long experience of building and running IT systems, or by people who have worked on many kinds of management consulting and have strong IT skills. On the other hand, now that digital technology and tools are commonplace, routes into the job are becoming more varied, for example people using their own workplace experience to become IT or DX consultants. You build your skills by repeatedly going through the whole process of consulting on clients' IT and DX strategies, promoting digitalisation and actually installing systems for clients. Both management and digital technology need a very wide range of knowledge and skills, so people often have areas of strength in particular industries or systems. IT consultants need to understand the client, the market, the industry and relevant laws well, and be able to devise business strategies that use digital technology. Knowledge and experience of software, hardware, networks and cloud services are also important. You need to keep an accurate grasp of changes in business and society, and because digital technology moves especially fast, it is important to keep gathering information on new technologies and products. The ability to choose the best tool from what is available now is also important, and you are expected to work out objectively what is best for the client.

How much does an IT Consultant earn in Japan?

Average annual income in the private sector, bonus included, is ¥8,890,400 (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare). The figure is for the wage survey group System consultants and designers, which covers several jobs.

Do you need a degree to become an IT Consultant?

Usually. In this job's census occupation group, 71% of workers are university graduates.

Will AI change the work of an IT 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