Several industries in Japan need foreign workers — POLO

Japan has opened several industries to foreign workers amid labor shortages, according to the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Tokyo on Saturday.

In an interview with Super Radyo dzBB, Marie Rose Escalada, Labor Attaché in Tokyo, said Japan needed foreign workers for these industries:

1. Care workers

2. Food service industry

3. Construction industry

4. Building cleaning management

5. Agriculture

6. Manufacture and food beverages

7. Accommodation industry

8. Machine parts and tooling industries

9. Ship building and ship machinery

10. Fishery and aquaculture

11. Automobile repair and maintenance

12: Industrial machinery

13. Electronics and information technology

14. Aviation

Citing the Japanese government, Escalada said the country needed at least 345,150 workers.

“Ang total shortage nito according to Japan government is 345,150. As of September 2021, nasa 38,337 pa yung nakakuha ng visa nito mga around 11% so malaki pa yung opening. So if you really want to come in Japan, number one, pass the skills test and number two, please learn the language,” she said.

(The total shortage, according to the Japanese government, is 345,150. As of September 2021, only 38,337 had secured their visas, or around 11%, so there are still more openings. So if you really want to come to Japan, number one, pass the skills test, and number two, please learn the language.)

According to Escalada, Japan has good labor standards that provide "equal treatment" for all employees.

"Whether you are a Japanese or a foreign worker, everybody is treated equally," she added.

A group of Tokyo-based public think tanks earlier said Japan needs about four times more foreign workers by 2040 to achieve the growth path the government has outlined in its economic forecast.

The findings highlight Japan's growing reliance on migrant labor to make up for a shrinking population, while its ability to attract overseas talent has been thrown into question by strict COVID-19 border controls that have shut out students and workers. — VBL, GMA News