Filipinos to Get 30 Percent of Japan Jobs, Bello Says
EMPLOYMENT BECKONS FROM THE LAND OF THE RISING SUN. The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is optimistic that Filipino workers would get a third of the 350,000 jobs that Japan will be opening to foreigners. The demand is due to the country’s manpower shortage in at least 14 job categories.
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said Filipinos have a big advantage since they are among the most preferred workers in Japan.
“Our workers may get at least 30 percent of available jobs to foreign nationals,” Bello said.
It was only recently that the Japanese parliament approved the entry of foreign workers to Japan’s labor market. Japan currently offers higher wages than the Middle East region, where majority of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) currently reside.
A memorandum of cooperation between DOLE and different government agencies of Japan will be used to govern the deployment of “specified skilled workers.”
Among the specified skills include those in food services and manufacturing; building maintenance, hospitality; health care; agriculture; fisheries and aquaculture; construction; shipbuilding; and aviation.
New Visa Categories
A new Japanese law has also opened two new visa categories for foreign nationals, which are set to be implemented in April.
Type 1 visas permit foreign workers to be employed in middle and lower level skilled jobs, such as nursing care, farming, and construction, among others. Valid for five years, Type 1 visa holders are not allowed to bring family members to Japan.
Type 2 visas, on the other hand, require higher skill levels and allows holders to bring family members with them. It also entitles them to unlimited renewals and permanent residency.
2017 records show that 1.28 million foreigners were working in Japan. This number is more than double the 480,000 recorded in 2008. 29% of these workers were from China, 19% from Vietnam, and 12% from the Philippines. Brazil and Nepal followed with 9% and 5%, respectively.
