The number of foreign workers in Japan rose to a record 2,048,675, up 225,950, or 12.4 percent, from the previous year, also due to a recovery in the number of technical interns after Japan ended strict border controls due to Covid-19, according to Kyodo News.
The number of foreign workers has hit consecutive annual highs since 2013, but last year's increase far exceeded the previous year's 5.5 percent increase.
In terms of nationality, the Vietnamese labor group accounts for the largest proportion with 518,364 people, accounting for 25.3% of the total number of foreign workers. Next is the Chinese group with 397,918 people (19.4%), the Filipino group with 226,846 people (11.1%), and the Nepalese group with 145,587 people (7.1%).
A Vietnamese woman (left) is trained as a nurse in Japan's Aichi Prefecture on April 17, 2023.
Asahi Shimbun screenshot
The number of workplaces hiring foreigners rose 6.7 percent to a new high of 318,775, as companies stepped up hiring to cope with labor shortages.
"With the construction, medical and welfare sectors hiring more (foreign workers), the growth rate has approached pre-pandemic levels," a labor ministry official said.
By residency status, the number of people on specialist and engineer visas increased by 24.2% to 595,904, while technical trainees increased by 20.2% to 412,501, marking the first increase in three years.
The number of people working under the technical intern program is rising again as the Japanese government considers scrapping the controversial program, which has been criticized as a front for importing cheap labor, according to Kyodo News.
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