By Ryo Nishii and Eisuke Shimobayashi / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers

7:00 JST, December 13, 2025

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry launched a system in October to provide financial assistance to workers who take a leave of absence from their companies to acquire new skills.

The system was implemented to encourage more Japanese employees to undergo new training to adapt to technological and other changes in society.

However, as there are companies that are concerned about labor shortages, it remains to be seen whether the system can actually take root.

Reskilling involves people learning and acquiring new skills necessary for a job.

The World Economic Forum (WEF) said in a report this year that demand for people in the tech industry, as well as in agriculture, nursing care, construction and other such fields, will be on the rise over the next five years. However, there will be a surplus of office personnel and secretaries.

The WEF believes that 40% of the skills for existing jobs will be outdated, resulting in the need to promote reskilling programs.

The new system of providing financial assistance covers employees who take a leave of absence for 30........

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