Japan's Halt on New Foreign Restaurant Workers Fuels Urban Influx

Tokyo, Oct. 8 (Jiji Press)--Since Japan stopped accepting new foreign workers in the restaurant industry with the Type I residency status for specified skilled workers in April, rising demand for such workers has driven them to urban areas, exacerbating labor shortages in regional areas.

A private-sector survey showed that the number of job openings in the industry for foreign workers with the Type I status, which allows holders to work in Japan for up to five years, has increased 2.8-fold since April.

A survey by Mynavi Global Corp. showed that 46.4 pct of foreign specified skilled workers who secured employment in the restaurant industry in July found jobs in six urban prefectures--Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba, Saitama, Osaka and Aichi--after having previously worked outside these areas.

The proportion increased from 31.9 pct in March, prior to the suspension of new admissions, highlighting an increase in the movement of workers to urban areas from regional areas.

Motoki Yuzuriha, president of Mynavi Global, which supports foreign workers seeking employment in Japan, said that there are a large number of foreign workers who move to urban areas in search of higher wages.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]