Faced with labor shortage, Japan seeks skilled foreign workers

2023-04-25T15:42:33.120Z

Highlights: Japan's labour force has been declining since 1993. The country still has no immigration policy. It allows foreigners to enter sectors of the economy where labour shortages are greatest. Japan is also less attractive to them because of the weak yen. Many low-skilled workers are in Japan under a so-called "technical training" program. These people are often exploited or abused by unscrupulous companies. The government is seeking to abolish this controversial program. It has unveiled plans to increase the number of areas in which category 2 holders can work to eleven.

Japan needs foreign labor. The business community and universities are now pushing the government to expand its long-term visa regime to fill some of the gap,...

Faced with labor shortage, Japan seeks skilled foreign workers

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on October 28, 2022. AP - Yoshikazu Tsuno

Text by: RFI Follow

1 min

Japan needs foreign labor. The business community and universities are now pushing the government to expand its long-term visa regime to address, in part, the shortage of skilled labour. Companies are also asking to receive more lower-skilled immigrants in a country where the population is aging and shrinking.

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With our correspondent in Tokyo, Frédéric Charles

Since 2018, Japan has allowed more skilled foreign workers to be welcomed. The Immigration Act classifies them into two categories. Persons who obtain category 1 can work in twelve sectors of activity, but they can only stay in Japan for a maximum of five years.

Category 2 is reserved – in terms of Japanese language skills and aptitude – for qualified persons. The duration of their stay is unlimited. They can bring their spouses and children, but can only work in two areas of activity. And it is not easy to get the category 2 visa.

The government has unveiled plans to increase the number of areas in which category 2 holders can work to eleven. These include, among others, agriculture and agri-food.

Many low-skilled workers are in Japan under a so-called "technical training" program. These people are often exploited or abused by unscrupulous companies. The government is seeking to abolish this controversial program.

Japan's labour force has been declining since 1993. The country still has no immigration policy and allows foreigners to enter sectors of the economy where labour shortages are greatest. Japan is also less attractive to them because of the weak yen.

Faced with labor shortage, Japan seeks skilled foreign workers

Faced with labor shortage, Japan seeks skilled foreign workers

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