The Role of Career Consultants as Outlined in the 12th Basic Plan for Human Resources Development
Hello everyone. This is the official note of the Japan Career Development Association (JCDA).
Thank you for always reading our posts.
In this post, we would like to introduce the "12th Basic Plan for Human Resources Development," published by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare on March 31, 2026.
▼12th Basic Plan for Human Resources Development - Summary Version (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare) https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/11801000/001683728.pdf
▼ 12th Basic Plan for Human Resources Development - Full Text (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare) https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/11801000/001683729.pdf
This document can be described as a "blueprint for the future working environment," outlining the direction the government will take regarding human resources development over the five-year period from fiscal year 2026 to 2030.
As I read through this plan, I encountered many phrases that made me pause as someone involved in the field of career support. I would like to share the content and our thoughts on it with you.
Since its establishment, the JCDA has been active with the mission of "supporting people so they can pursue their own unique careers." The direction indicated by this plan deeply overlaps with that mission. That is precisely why I want to read this document together with our members and connect it to our practical work in the field.
What is happening now?
At the beginning of the plan, the current situation in Japan is described in detail.
The average unemployment rate in 2024 was 2.5%, and the active job opening ratio was 1.25. The employment situation is gradually improving. Nominal GDP has exceeded 600 trillion yen, and the wage growth rate reached its highest level in 33 years. On the other hand, due to the impact of rising prices, real wages remain negative, and it seems it will take a little more time for the feeling of recovery to reach individual lives.
Looking at the labor market, the total number of employed people is expected to decrease toward 2040. The population decline due to the falling birthrate and aging society is restricting labor supply, and the rapid advancement of digital technology, including AI, is changing the required skills at an unprecedented speed.
The phrase "rapid change" is something we hear often in daily life.
However, reading this document, the weight of that change was conveyed in a more urgent way because it was presented as figures rather than abstract words. As a career supporter, I wanted to start by acknowledging that weight.
Three perspectives that run through the plan
This plan presents three perspectives that run through all measures for the next five years.
They are "Individualization," "Collaboration and Sharing," and "Visualization."
"Individualization" means conducting human resources development tailored to each individual's circumstances and wishes.
It is a direction of creating opportunities for learning and growth that are close to the person's situation, rather than providing standardized support.
"Collaboration and Sharing" is having multiple companies collaborate to carry out human resources development that a single company cannot handle alone, at the industry or regional level.
Especially for small and medium-sized enterprises, the difficulty of engaging in human resources development independently has been a long-standing issue. This is the idea of overcoming that barrier through collaboration that transcends corporate boundaries.
"Visualization" is making skills, treatment, and human resources development opportunities visible so that workers can access information themselves to select and utilize it.
This plan envisions not only making skills visible but also establishing career ladders, which are the paths showing how those skills lead to specific treatment. The enrichment of career ladder information on the job information site (job tag) and the construction of career ladders for each industry are listed as concrete measures, and one can feel the determination to create an environment where people can see "where they can go if they acquire skills."
These three are deeply intertwined with each other.
Because skills are "visible," individuals can take action—
Because individuals can take action, "individualized" support becomes necessary—
And because it is difficult for one company alone, "collaboration and sharing" becomes meaningful—
I feel that the design philosophy for future human resources development lies within this cycle.
However, there is also the reality that a career cannot move forward with skills alone.
That is precisely why the value of clarifying the path of "what to learn and where to head" will continue to increase.
We believe that the role of "career counseling," which approaches the person's background, experiences, values, and their "ideal self," will become increasingly important.
Policies Related to Career Consultants
As you read through, you will find that policies directly related to career consultants are clearly positioned within this plan.
The first is the expansion of career consulting opportunities and the promotion of the introduction of Self-Career Docks.
A Self-Career Dock is an initiative in which companies systematically and regularly support the career development of their workers. The spread of this means that the field of activity for career consultants will expand from "inside the counseling room" to "the front lines of corporate human resource development."
The plan explicitly states the role of not only supporting individuals but also being involved in the very mechanisms by which companies nurture their people.
I would like us to think again about how we should interpret this.
The second is initiatives to improve the expertise of career consultants and promote understanding for their utilization.
This includes two directions. One is for us to continue to improve our own expertise. The other is for companies and society as a whole to deepen their understanding of how to utilize career consultants.
No matter how much we improve our expertise, it will not reach those who need it if the environment for its utilization is not in place—I take this as the answer to that reality.
The third is the expansion of designated courses for education and training benefits that can be taken at night, on weekends, or online, and the promotion of education and training leave systems.
I often hear voices from clients saying, "I want to learn, but I don't have the time" or "I can't take time off work." This is an area where the government is trying to respond concretely to those voices. Expanding the options we can offer in counseling sessions will directly lead to the quality of support.
I want to think together about the meaning of the words "autonomous and proactive"
There is a phrase in this plan that leaves a particularly strong impression.
It is the term "autonomous and proactive career development."
It is described repeatedly and carefully throughout the document.
This term is sometimes interpreted as meaning "you should handle it yourself." However, I feel that this is by no means what this plan is depicting.
Only in an environment where one can access necessary information, has someone to consult with, and has opportunities for re-learning, can the words "autonomous and proactive" truly come to life, don't you think?
Accepting experiences, finding meaning in them, and taking the next step as one's own. I believe that accompanying clients through that process is our job.
Continuing to think about the direction indicated by this document while connecting it to our practical work in the field may be one of the things required of us now.
A valuable document that you should read at least once as a career consultant
There are two types of materials for this plan: an overview version and the full text.
First, please open the overview version. It is enough to convey what the government intends to value over the next five years. After that, if you deepen your understanding of the parts that interest you in the full text, I think the weight of each policy will be conveyed differently.
I think it is a document that you can read while thinking about where what you are doing fits into this larger flow. For all of you involved in the field of careers, I hope this will be an opportunity to read it by overlapping your practical work in the field with the direction of the government.
JCDA will continue to work on improving the expertise of career consultants and promoting them to society. We want to take each of the policies shown in this plan not as something that concerns others, but as a guideline for our own activities.
To sincerely support these five years from the front lines of career support. I have introduced this document while renewing that commitment.
You can view it for free from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare website.
Reference Materials
▼12th Basic Plan for Human Resources Development - Summary Version (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare) https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/11801000/001683728.pdf
▼12th Basic Plan for Human Resources Development - Full Text (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare) https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/11801000/001683729.pdf
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