When we sat down for this conversation, it was a rainy morning in Tokyo. Paul appeared on camera with his two dachshunds occasionally demanding attention. “Irish weather has arrived,” he joked. British-born, Irish-raised, Paul has a direct, practical, and refreshingly honest approach – exactly what job seekers need in a competitive market.
Below, you can read the excerpts from our talk about what’s happening in Japan’s tech hiring world in 2025-2026 and how Paul’s experience is helping Le Wagon Tokyo bootcamp grads.
According to Paul, what’s notable is that hiring in 2025 isn’t being driven by a handful of big tech companies. Instead, many companies are hiring just one or two roles at a time.
“Dozens of companies saying, “We could really use one more backend developer, or one product-minded engineer, or one person who can help with automation.“”, said Paul.
This pattern is particularly Japanese: slower, steadier, less volatile than the U.S. or Europe.
“Japan is still catching up,” he said. “There’s still legacy infrastructure from the 90s running in major companies. Digital transformation isn’t finished here. That means the work doesn’t go away.”
Looking toward 2026, Paul doesn’t expect sudden dramatic swings. “Unless there’s a major global shock,” he said, “the curve will probably continue just like this, gradual and steady.”
When talking about roles and skills in the market, Paul explained that core software engineering remains stable.
“Japan hasn’t really changed the core tech stack in startups,” he said. “You still see a lot of JavaScript, TypeScript, Ruby, Go – those are still very standard. Software engineering itself hasn’t gone anywhere.”
What has changed is the growing demand for engineers who can help companies implement AI into real business processes.
“We’re seeing more positions like AI engineer, LLM engineer, GenAI engineer, MLOps roles,” Paul explained. “A lot of that work is Python-based, and it often comes with higher Japanese language requirements because these teams are facing domestic enterprise clients.”
These roles are less about building new AI models from scratch and more about taking tools like ChatGPT, Claude, or enterprise LLMs and integrating them into workflows.
“There isn’t a reduction in traditional software engineering, although we are seeing the integration of AI coding tools into the development processes at many firms. What’s happening is we have additional demand layered on top now too, like AI implementation roles, workflow automation roles’.
Some of those roles are close to data science. Others look more like software engineering but involve smaller, iterative internal projects instead of product development. And meanwhile, companies are still building products.
“PayPay is still hiring. Mercari is still hiring. Mobile, payments, SaaS – all still moving forward. The AI work is an addition, not a replacement.”
When asked whether there are more junior opportunities now than before, Paul explained that junior roles rarely appear on job boards. It is not because companies don’t need junior engineers, but because junior hiring tends to happen when they can’t fill the role with a mid-level engineer, the work is better suited for junior-level growth or the budget simply doesn’t allow for a senior hire.
“Number one piece of advice I give to Le Wagon Tokyo bootcamp grads: treat your job search like a structured, professional project. You can’t just casually apply for a few jobs and hope something lands. When you’re senior, jobs come to you. When you’re a junior, you have to go find the job. That means using multiple channels like job boards, referrals, networking events, freelance work, anything. You’re not fishing with a fishing rod, you’re fishing with a net.“
Alongside that, language skills matter a lot. The English-speaking tech market in Japan is already a niche. If you don’t speak Japanese, that’s a niche within a niche. Improving your Japanese, even gradually, opens doors.
Then there’s focus and depth. Coding bootcamp grads sometimes need to go back and strengthen fundamentals like CS basics, systems, algorithms, not because they need to become computer scientists, but because they’ll be competing with people who are.
And finally: networking. Not just to find jobs but to learn, to get advice, to see what others are doing, to get introduced and recommended. People refer people they know and like. And opportunities often come from casual interactions.
“I know someone who was about to leave Japan, went to a Christmas bonenkai, met a founder, got a job offer, and that changed everything!“
“I speak with hiring companies every day and talk with job hunters across all levels. So when I give advice, it comes from what I see in the market right now. It’s not motivational quotes or theoretical coaching frameworks. It has to be grounded in what’s actually happening.“
A big part of coaching is helping people understand how hiring really works. Most job seekers only understand hiring from their side: they make a CV, send it, and then something mysterious happens. Maybe an interview invitation arrives, maybe not. But they don’t know who reads their resume, whether it goes through an ATS filter, whether a hiring manager actually sees it, or whether the job description is a real requirement list or just a wish list.
“When job hunters understand the company’s side – how decisions get made, who evaluates what, how salary ranges work, what negotiation looks like, the whole process can become clearer and less stressful.“
The third part of the approach is supporting people through what can be a stressful process.
“For most people, job hunting is tiring and emotionally heavy. So I try to help them navigate the stress, prepare better for interviews, communicate more clearly about their strengths, and make decisions that align with their goals.“
The coaching session is really about understanding where someone is stuck, breaking down the situation, exploring options, and figuring out a reasonable next step, whether that’s revising a resume, preparing differently for interviews, or making a strategic career decision.
Thank you Paul! Looking forward to the great partnership.
More about Le Wagon Tokyo career services and job support HERE.
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