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How to become a Welfare Office Caseworker

Also called: Social Worker (Welfare Office), Support Planning Specialist (Welfare Office), Welfare Office District Worker, Welfare Office Interviewer

Advises people at a welfare office who are struggling because of illness, old age, poverty or other reasons, dealing with each person's problem (case) and giving the support they need.

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

First you need to pass the local government public service exam of a prefecture, a city (including Tokyo's special wards) or a town or village that runs a welfare office. In most cases you are hired as a general administrative officer. After joining you are posted to a welfare office and work as a caseworker there. Under the Social Welfare Act, caseworkers at welfare offices must hold the social welfare officer (shakai fukushi shuji) qualification. To get it you must graduate from a university, senmon gakko (vocational college) or similar after completing social welfare subjects set by the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, or complete a course at a designated training institution or training session. People without the qualification gain it after being posted to a welfare office, for example by attending training sessions. You need a passion for social welfare, a deep interest in people who are struggling, and a good knowledge of social welfare law.

Ways in

Pay · Job openings · AI and this job

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Welfare Office Caseworker?

First you need to pass the local government public service exam of a prefecture, a city (including Tokyo's special wards) or a town or village that runs a welfare office. In most cases you are hired as a general administrative officer. After joining you are posted to a welfare office and work as a caseworker there. Under the Social Welfare Act, caseworkers at welfare offices must hold the social welfare officer (shakai fukushi shuji) qualification. To get it you must graduate from a university, senmon gakko (vocational college) or similar after completing social welfare subjects set by the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, or complete a course at a designated training institution or training session. People without the qualification gain it after being posted to a welfare office, for example by attending training sessions. You need a passion for social welfare, a deep interest in people who are struggling, and a good knowledge of social welfare law.

Do you need a degree to become a Welfare Office Caseworker?

Not always. In this job's census occupation group, 42% of workers are university graduates. Ways in include: Social Work & Community degrees.

Will AI change the work of a Welfare Office Caseworker?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, 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