Japan To Gather Foreign Worker Data To Stop Abuse

Japan plans to launch a new survey in fiscal 2023 to collect data on foreign workers, such as their income and types of employment, to better accommodate their needs, according to the labor ministry, Kyodo News reported.

Photo Insert: The number of foreign workers in Japan rose to a record 1.73 million as of October last year amid a workforce shortage.

The number of foreign workers in Japan rose to a record 1.73 million as of October last year amid a workforce shortage, labor ministry data showed, but the government currently has only basic information on them, such as their residency status, nationality, and workplace size, among others.

Critics have pointed out that the government has been unable to come up with adequate support measures for foreign workers since it does not know their actual employment conditions.

Concrete plans for data collection will be formulated in fiscal 2022 beginning April, before the planned start of the survey in the following year. The data will become comparable to labor statistics of Japanese nationals, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.

An interim report on the envisioned survey compiled by an expert panel showed earlier in February that the statistics will initially cover offices that hire foreign workers, including technical interns under a government-sponsored program.

WEEKLY FEATURE : MVP Group Keeps Lights On During Pandemic