A caregiver (R) works at an elderly supporting centre in Tomioka town of Japan's Fukushima prefecture. Japan is facing a labour shortage caused by its rapidly aging population (Photo: AFP/VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnamese workers in Japan topped401,000 as of October 2019, an increase of 26.7 percent from a year earlier,adding up to the record of almost 1.66 million foreign workers in the country,data of the Japanese labour ministry show.
The number of foreign workers in Japan hit arecord 1,658,804 as of the month, up 13.6 percent year on year, as companiesincreasingly hired them amid a labour shortage caused by the nation's rapidlyaging population.
The ministry attributed the 12th straight yearlyrise to a government policy aimed at bringing in more highly skilled foreignworkers and hiring students for part-time jobs. It also said there was greaterlabour force participation by permanent residents and the spouses of Japanesedue to improved employment conditions.
Trainees from developing countries under Japan'stechnical intern programme also contributed to the increase, the country’sMinistry of Health, Labour and Welfare said.
It noted workers of the Chinese nationalityaccounted for some 25 percent of the entire foreign workforce at 418,327,followed by Vietnamese at 401,326 and Filipinos at 179,685. The figures rose by7.5 percent, 26.7 percent and 9.6 percent, respectively.
Japan created a new visa system on April 1 lastyear to bring in more workers from overseas to address its labour shortage,marking a major policy shift from its traditionally strict immigration rules./.
VNA
