Auto mechanics: 4.04 openings per job seekerThe workplace “next door” to driving

Hello Work’s openings-to-applicants ratio for “machine maintenance and repair workers” was 4.21 in FY2023, 4.13 in FY2024 and 4.04 in FY2025, rising to 4.50 excluding part-time jobs. The category also covers maintenance of machines other than vehicles, and there is no figure for auto maintenance alone, but it is higher than for motor vehicle drivers (2.58). By prefecture, Niigata (7.48), Tokyo (6.18) and Fukui (6.15) are highest, and Okinawa (1.84) lowest.

A survey by the Japan Automobile Service Promotion Association (JASPA, 日整連) counted 402,367 maintenance staff at the end of June 2025, of whom 333,475 held a mechanic qualification. The average age of maintenance staff was 47.7, up every year from 45.7 in 2020.

Annualized pay for automotive maintenance and repair workers, calculated from the Basic Survey on Wage Structure (2025), is about ¥5.04 million, with an average age of 40.6. Workers under 30 make up 28.4%, far younger than in driving jobs (2–6%). By age, pay rises from about ¥3.61 million at 20–24 to about ¥5.98 million at 50–54, a different curve from large-truck driving, which flattens out from the late 30s.

JASPA’s own survey puts average annual income (salary, allowances and bonuses) at about ¥4.43 million, with gaps by type of workplace: about ¥5.35 million at dealers, ¥4.20 million at garages that are part of another business, and ¥3.96 million at independent garages. The Basic Survey on Wage Structure covers only firms with 10 or more employees and leaves out many small neighborhood garages, so keep track of which figure you are looking at.

Automotive mechanic (自動車整備士) is a national qualification awarded through MLIT’s skills tests, in grade 1, grade 2, grade 3 and special categories. According to JASPA, there are three main routes.

• Type 1 training institutions (government-designated vocational schools for mechanics and similar): the grade 2 course is 1,800 hours over 2 years or more, the grade 3 course 900 hours over 1 year or more. Graduates are exempt from the practical test.
• Type 2 training institutions (technical training centers run by regional automobile service promotion associations): for people with work experience. Graduates are exempt from the practical test.
• Work experience: gain experience while working at a garage and take the grade 3 test. After passing, gain further experience and move on to grade 2.

Even without a qualification, you can do work such as assisting mechanics, washing vehicles and changing tires. Whether you can earn a qualification while working depends on the workplace, so check.

According to the Kyushu District Transport Bureau, a “certified garage” (認証工場) that does disassembly maintenance and similar work must have at least 2 workers, at least 1 of them a grade 1 or grade 2 mechanic, with certified mechanics making up at least a quarter of workers. A “designated garage” (指定工場), which runs private inspections, needs at least 4 workers, with mechanics making up at least a third. Difficulty hiring mechanics bears directly on whether a garage can stay open.

The work itself is changing. Electronic system checks (OBD inspection) were added to shaken vehicle inspections (車検), starting Oct 1, 2024 for domestic cars and Oct 1, 2025 for imports. Servicing vehicles with batteries above 50 volts to ground is work that requires special training under the Ordinance on Industrial Safety and Health. Trucking and bus companies also run in-house garages (自家工場) for their own vehicles, one of the workplaces “next door” to driving.