The ministry of labor will enhance the consultation and advice systems available to companies that hire foreign workers who come to Japan under a new residential status expected to be introduced next fiscal year.
The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry’s plan is the stationing of about 170 people — advisers who will visit the companies, and employment consultants — in key areas across the nation.
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The ministry will help the preparations of companies that accept foreign workers for taking on these workers and make the working environment more comfortable for them. The new residential status will be for jobs in industries facing a shortage in labor like agriculture, construction and nursing care.
The workers are allowed to stay in Japan for up to five years IF they have a certain level of technical expertise and Japanese language ability. The government will establish the new residential status in April 2019 and is considering which specific job categories will be covered by it.
Advisers will visit companies that have hired foreign employees with the new residential status are working and check whether the labor conditions and employment management practices are appropriate.
Also, insurance labor and management consultants for small and midsize companies would be entrusted to serve as support consultants for foreign laborers with the new residential status, and must provide advice on issues such as insurance and labor.
The government will boost support for foreign students and others wishing to work in Japan. A service center for foreigners that allows them to be employed will be established in Fukuoka Prefecture to provide opportunities there to match companies with the students and other foreign nationals.
Several such centers are already in operation in the cities of Nagoya, Osaka and Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo.The scramble to secure human resources who can be immediately effective is becoming a global competition.
Reference: Advisers to bolster aid for foreign workers with new residential status
