it was not supposed to be like this

21:39 on April 1 which should not have been like this

There are 2.93 million foreign residents in Japan, including permanent residents. Increasing number of technical interns and international students, and the status of residence of “special skills” newly established just one year ago. People who were expected to solve the labor shortage in Japan have been completely affected by the new coronavirus and are now in a difficult situation.
The harsh reality of one year since the acceptance of foreign human resources has expanded. The embarrassment that the system will not proceed and the grief that "this was not the case" are spreading.
(Hanoi bureau Michishita Wing / Network Press Department Asako Wada Shinsuke Ayuai)

Double struggle with new corona and postponement of Tokyo Ori Para

The spread of the new coronavirus infection does not stop.
The situation at the work site, such as the cancellation of a job offer or the suspension of work from the dispatch site, is also deteriorating.
Foreigners working in Japan are also in a serious situation.

In the midst of the increasing severity, the interviewer was Enkhbayar Erdenetimeg, a 27-year-old Mongolian citizen who graduated from a Japanese language school in Chiba in March.

Last October, he passed the accommodation exam to acquire specific skills, and he is looking for a job mainly in a hotel in an urban area, but has not found a job.

However, since February, the number of tourists visiting Japan has dropped sharply, especially due to the spread of the new coronavirus, and the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics has further caught on.

Enfubayar: "I thought that many tourists would come to the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics in the summer of this year. I thought that if I passed the exam, I would find a job soon.

Enhubayal's impatience has increased over time.
The “study abroad” visa for two years at a Japanese language school is about to expire.
Until then, you must return to your home country unless you sign an employment contract with your employer and switch to “specific skills”.

Enkhbayar: "By July, things are settled, finding a job is difficult and I'm very anxious."

I ca n’t survive ...

The lack of income to support life has exacerbated the situation.
While at school, I earned about 90,000 yen a month at a convenience store, but I had to quit when I graduated.

The Immigration Control Law stipulates that part-time work for international students is "limited to those performed while at an educational institution" in the Enforcement Rules, and prohibits part-time work after graduation.
If you continue, you will be working illegally.

Enkhbayar lives alone in an apartment with a rent of 35,000 yen per month.
After quitting my part-time job, I have saved my savings and lived, but my savings have already bottomed out.

Enhubayar: "I think that specific skills are a system we have set up to widely accept foreigners who work, but even if we have a strong desire to work in Japan, we cannot work. We know that timing is bad. But I can't even live as it is. "

What's really “stop” at the site

The specific skill is a status of residence established in April last year in 14 fields, such as the restaurant business and the accommodation business, to solve the serious labor shortage in Japan.
Until then, the Japanese government, which had been cautious about accepting foreign human resources, was remarked as "the country has greatly reduced its acceptance of foreign human resources" due to the amendment of the law at an unusual speed.

In fact, unlike trainees with almost the minimum wage, foreigners with specific skills can work as regular employees, and wages are equal to or higher than those of Japanese.
You can also change jobs.

However, Japanese companies that have begun to hire talent by actively utilizing the system are hitting unexpected barriers.

Mos Food Service, a leading restaurant chain that operates mos burgers nationwide, focuses on Vietnam, which has sent many technical intern trainees to Japan. I started the program.
However, in Vietnam, examinations for acquiring specific skills have been delayed for one year since the start of the system.
For this reason, Mos Food Service has taken the initiative to call Vietnamese who have experience in technical training in Japan to Japan in February to take the exam.

We performed a mock test in Hanoi, the capital, just before we wanted to pass the test.

The company paid for the mock exams, as well as the travel and accommodation costs for taking the exams in Japan.
Dan di Tam, one of the 19 Vietnamese who took the exams in Fukuoka and Tokyo, was eager to work in Japan.

Tam: "Japan is a beautiful country, there are a lot of kind people, and I think that life is good. Since I worked in technical internship in Japan for three years, I worked hard to study back to Japan with specific skills and work. "

Mos Food Service has spent time and money trying to secure talented and motivated human resources, including Tam. Due to the influence of the new coronavirus, the schedule for recruiting human resources has been forced to change, for example.

Mr. Masatoshi Taguchi: "At the beginning, there were 23 candidates for our program who wanted to go to Japan, but four had already left without waiting for the test to start in Vietnam. It's big and it costs money.If you take the test in Japan, it will cost you about 10 times the cost of travel and accommodation, so it is close to the limit, so I hope that this is the last test in Japan. I'm grateful for the exam to begin. ''

Why don't you go?

The Japanese government anticipated that a maximum of more than 47,000 people would be accepted for specific skills in the year from April last year. At that time it has remained at 2994.

Why isn't it progressing?
We interviewed in Vietnam, which was expected to be the largest “delivery country”.

Vietnam is the one that sends the most human resources to Japan for technical training.
Japan is seeking foreign human resources due to lack of human resources, and Vietnam is promoting migrant workers overseas.
Last year, Vietnam sent over 152,000 people abroad, but Japan accounted for more than half of them, with over 82,000 being Japan.The two countries can be said to be "honeymoon partners in the human resources business." .

However, it has been pointed out that in technical internships, the damage that apprentices receive large fees has spread to malicious intermediaries and others, and that many apprentices come to Japan with debts, and the Japanese and Vietnamese governments I have seen it as a problem.

In order to start specific skills based on these facts, it has become an issue how foreign workers aiming for Japan can similarly reduce the “risk of money” due to commission troubles and heavy debts.

As we proceeded with interviews with people involved in the dispatch of human resources in Vietnam, we found that delays in specific skills were not unrelated to such talks about money.

A man involved in the human resources business who interviewed on an anonymous basis pointed out that the delay in specific skills "was taking time to develop guidelines on costs."

What are the "cost guidelines?"
The Vietnamese government determines the amount paid by Vietnamese who acquire specific skills to the company that will be the sending agency in Vietnam

The Vietnamese government has been working on the formulation process while listening to the opinions of Japan, but in the process it was difficult to obtain the consent of Japan.

Men involved in human resources business in Vietnam “The new system is good for workers, but there are some disadvantages for Vietnamese companies that send workers abroad, and the Vietnamese government has We are asking the Japanese side for the burden, but the price offered is high for Japan. "

When the Vietnamese government interviewed the background of Japan's inability to obtain consent, differences in intentions regarding the guidelines came to light.

According to the man and other stakeholders, Japan has designed Vietnamese workers to work in Japan by reducing fees to Vietnamese companies and by narrowing the nominal amount of their spending, thereby creating a "gold risk." There was an intention to reduce.

On the other hand, the Vietnamese side wanted to establish a system that could secure the same level of income that Vietnamese companies had gained through existing technical training.

Late March, just before the first year of the system.
The Vietnamese government has finally published guidelines.
However, one of the stakeholders complained about the guidelines presented, saying that the prices were set high and Japanese opinions were hardly reflected. .
Even in Vietnam, where delays have been noticeable, progress has been made in developing a system for specific skills, but it is expected that it will take some time to start, and whether it will be a system that will not betray young people who hope for Japan. It seems that we need to pay close attention to future operations.

Expert "It is also necessary to review the system itself"

One year since expanding the acceptance of foreign human resources.
Professor Kiyoto Tanno of Tokyo Metropolitan University, who is familiar with the situation of foreign workers, points out as follows.

Professor Tanno: "Not only was the system proceeding prematurely, but also the country's assumption of anticipating the acceptance of up to 47,000 people in one year was not overestimated, and how much the numbers are based on The system was launched to eliminate labor shortages, but with the spread of the new coronavirus, the situation has changed drastically, and companies have been working hard to protect their employment. It is likely to last much longer, and the system itself needs to be reviewed again. ''

And he said:

Professor Tanno: In light of economic growth in Southeast Asian countries and intensifying competition for human resources with South Korea and Taiwan, Japan will no longer be an attractive country where many foreign workers will come. It is important to create a system that allows people who are now in Japan and those who are going to come to Japan to stay and work as long as possible, such as by expanding the acceptance of settled visas that can attract families. , They are working “people.” Why shouldn't we be evaluated as a country where we can live and work with our family, and the new coronavirus can create a working environment for foreign workers because of the severe situation? Is being asked. "