Over the years, the Land of the Rising Sun emerged as one of the fastest growing nations in terms of economic developments and improvements across the globe. However, amidst the upward growth in Japanese economy, the country is suffering from the consequences of workforce setback as a result of its aging population and low birth rate.
In view of the chronic labor shortage in Japan particularly in fourteen sectors that are identified to suffer the worst workforce problems, the Japanese government through its National Diet amended its previous immigration policies that used to provide for stringent requirements on foreign nationals who seek to land a job in the country.
The abovementioned fourteen sectors or industries that are deemed to deal with the worst kind of labor issues are as follows: Care worker, Building Cleaning Management, Machine Parts & Tooling Industry, Industrial Machinery Manufacturing Industry, Electric, Electronic and Information Industries, Construction Industry, Shipbuilding and Ship Machinery Industry, Automobile Repair and Maintenance, Aviation Industry, Accommodation Industry, Agriculture Fishery and Aquaculture as well as Food and Beverage production.
As such, the Japanese government remarkably introduced a new visa category that is intended to address the chronic labor shortage in these sectors. The new visa type came to be known as the “Specified Skilled Worker” visa. With the introduction of this new category, the Japanese government aims to open more and more doors of employment opportunities for foreign nationals who aspire to work and reside in Japan.
Among the fourteen above listed sectors is the Building Cleaning Management. Since Japan has a lot of establishments and corporations, these buildings are in need of cleaners who are capable of providing janitorial services.
Foreigners who are interested to work as janitors or building cleaners in Japan may now avail for the Specified Skilled Worker visa provided that they pass the industry specific test conducted by the relevant sector and they obtain at least an “N4” level in the Japanese language proficiency test.
Reference: Specified Skilled Visa
