In hiring, what can a shakai hoken roumushi do for you — and what can't they?

In short: the working conditions on the job posting, the shape of the selection process, the documents and procedures from offer to joining, and the entry design for hiring subsidies — that is shakai hoken roumushi territory. On the other hand, introducing or placing candidates is not something we handle. Arranging the formation of an employment relationship is "employment placement" (shokugyō shōkai), and doing it for a fee requires a licence from the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare.

This page is for owners and back-office staff of small and medium-sized companies thinking of outsourcing parts of hiring. It is the column-side entrance to our recruitment and hiring support service.

Where does the shakai hoken roumushi's work in hiring start and end?

Drawing the line through the "recruitment and hiring consultant" item in the fee schedule:

Category	Substance
What we take on	Designing the working conditions on the job posting (compliance with the disclosure duties) / structuring the selection process / offer letters and related documents / onboarding procedures (scheduling the pre-employment health check under Article 43 of the Ordinance on Industrial Safety and Health; social and employment insurance enrolment) / the entry design for hiring subsidies
What we do not handle	Introducing or placing candidates / conducting interviews on the company's behalf / operating job-advertising accounts for you

The right-hand side of "not handled" is not a choice of taste. It is legally off-limits or improper for us — the next section explains why.

Why is "placement" the one thing you cannot ask for?

Article 4, paragraph 1 of the Employment Security Act defines employment placement as "receiving offers of jobs and offers to work, and arranging the formation of an employment relationship between the job offerer and the job seeker." And fee-charging employment placement requires a licence from the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare (Article 30, paragraph 1).

In other words, "find someone good and match us" is, when done for reward, a licensed business. The shakai hoken roumushi qualification is no substitute for that licence. Our fee schedule states plainly that we do not handle introduction or placement — that line exists to be kept. No referral fees change hands in either direction.

There is also a separate frame called "commissioned recruitment" — having someone outside your workforce recruit for you — which requires the Minister's licence if they are paid, or a notification if unpaid (Article 36). That, too, is not our business; we simply point out that the frame exists.

How does this differ from a recruitment agency?

Not competitors — different roles. Side by side:

	Recruitment agency (licensed fee-charging placement business)	Shakai hoken roumushi
What they do	Find and match candidates	Put the substance of the hire in order — conditions, documents, procedures, subsidy entrances
Basis	Licence from the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare (Employment Security Act, Article 30, paragraph 1)	National qualification under the Certified Social Insurance and Labor Consultant Act
Fee shape	Typically success fees	Retainer or package quote (fee schedule)

The most common shape in practice is using both: an agency finds the people, while the job posting, offer documents and onboarding stay with the shakai hoken roumushi.

When hiring a foreign national, who does what?

When residence status enters the picture, one more counter opens. Residence-status applications and changes go to 四葉行政書士事務所 (a separate business from this office, engaged under a separate contract); housing to 四葉不動産株式会社 (likewise); the labour and social insurance after the hire to this office. The full timeline is in Hire one foreign employee — how many counters do you need?, and new-graduate hiring of international students in Can an international student start on April 1?.

What can 四葉社会保険労務士事務所 do?

四葉社会保険労務士事務所, in Kohinata, Bunkyo City, provides recruitment and hiring support — from the working conditions on the posting through offer documents, onboarding procedures and the subsidy entry design. Fees: the "recruitment and hiring consultant" item in the fee schedule (package, quoted). Consultation is free of charge. We start by sorting what you keep in-house and what you hand over.

Whom to consult

Candidate introduction and placement belong to licensed employment placement businesses. Residence-status applications go to 四葉行政書士事務所, company housing to 四葉不動産株式会社 (each a separate business from this office, engaged under a separate contract). Payroll taxation and the year-end adjustment are for a tax accountant; matters that have turned contentious for an attorney. In every case, no referral fees change hands.

Frequently asked questions

Q. Can we ask you to "introduce someone good if you know anyone"?
A. No. Arranging the formation of an employment relationship is employment placement, and doing it for a fee requires a licence from the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare (Employment Security Act, Article 4, paragraph 1; Article 30, paragraph 1). This office holds no such licence and neither pays nor receives referral fees. For finding people, use a licensed placement business or Hello Work.

Q. Can you sit in on interviews?
A. We do not conduct interviews on your behalf. What we do take on, within recruitment consulting, is structuring the selection — what to ask, which documents to verify, how to frame the evaluation. The interviewing itself stays with the company.

Q. When and how should the pre-employment health check happen?
A. When hiring a worker for regular employment, a physician's health examination is required (Ordinance on Industrial Safety and Health, Article 43). Where the person had a physician's examination within the previous three months and submits the documented results, the corresponding items may be omitted. We handle the scheduling as part of onboarding.

Q. We already have an agency under contract. Is there still a point in engaging you?
A. Yes. The agency covers matching; the posting's compliance with disclosure duties, the offer documents, onboarding and the subsidy entrances remain on your side of the table. Using both is the most common arrangement in practice.

Sources for this article

• Employment Security Act (職業安定法, Act No. 141 of 1947), Article 4, paragraph 1 (definition of employment placement), paragraphs 2 and 3 (free and fee-charging), Article 30, paragraph 1 (licence for fee-charging placement), Article 36 (commissioned recruitment — licence or notification) — current text confirmed on e-Gov on 14 August 2026
• Industrial Safety and Health Act (労働安全衛生法, Act No. 57 of 1972), Article 66, paragraph 1; Ordinance on Industrial Safety and Health (労働安全衛生規則, Ministry of Labour Order No. 32 of 1972), Article 43 (pre-employment health examination; omission where documented results within three months are submitted) — confirmed the same day

This article is general information. Judgments that fit your particular circumstances are made by a qualified professional after a meeting. Written by Joji Uramatsu (Shakai Hoken Roumushi (Certified Social Insurance and Labor Consultant), Gyoseishoshi (Certified Administrative Procedures Legal Specialist), Registered Real Estate Transaction Specialist).