Explaining English proficient Asian international students’ willingness to stay in Japan upon their graduation: the role of skills proficiency

Abstract Population aging and labor shortages facing Japan have navigated the country’s hiring targets toward international students currently pursuing tertiary education in Japan. It is important to investigate the determinants of their willingness to stay in Japan and the types of skills they could offer. Of the 414 English proficient Asian international students surveyed, over 50% were willing to stay in Japan after their graduation. The top five skills they rated as good were English language skills, independent working skills, ability to use and manage information, teamwork, and intercultural communication skills. Ordered logit regression results showed that willingness to stay is strongly motivated by better career development and employment opportunities in Japan. Most importantly, skill proficiency strengthens their desire to migrate, and language proficiency further enhances the migration decisions among people with neurotic personalities, as does ICT skills. Japanese policymakers should therefore conduct a full set of tests with international students to understand their skill proficiency, personality traits, and work values, as a means of identifying the potential labor force among them.