◆ System of Reporting Employment of Foreigner Workers
According to the Employment Measures Act, all companies are obligated to report the name, status of residence, and period of residence of all foreign employees to the Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare (“Hello Work”) at the time of hire and the time of termination, in order to improve the system for management of foreign laborers and re-employment support. All foreign workers employed in Japanese companies are subject to this law, except for special permanent residents and those with the visa status of “diplomat” or “official.”
The figures given below reflect these reports from companies as of the end of October, 2017.
◆ Outline of the Current Status of Employment of Foreign Workers
There are currently 1,278,670 foreign workers in Japan, an 18% increase of 194,901 additional foreign workers compared to the same time last year, bringing the current number of foreign workers to an all-time record high. Suggested factors in the increase in workers include “Increase in employment of highly skilled foreign workers and foreign exchange students,” “Increase in employment of foreigners residing in Japan based on their status as the spouse of a Japanese citizen or permanent resident” and “Increase in the implementation of the Technical Internship Program.” The most common nationality reported was Chinese, with 372,263 people making up 29.1% of the total reported foreign workers. The next most common nationalities were Vietnamese (240,259 people, 18.8%) and Filipino (146,798 people, 11.5%). In terms of status of residence, those with their personal status were the most common (459,132 people, 35.9%), followed by activities outside the realm of visas (foreign exchange students) (259,604 people, 20.3%), technical interns (257,788 people, 20.25) and “specialized and technical sectors” (238,412 people, 18.6%).
◆ Current Status of Companies
There are currently 195,595 companies across Japan employing foreign workers. This is an increase of 21,797 additional companies compared to the same time last year, bringing the current number of companies employing foreign workers to an all-time record high as well. Viewed based on location, Tokyo prefecture was the most common with 54,020 companies (27.8%), followed by Aichi prefecture (15,625 companies, 8%), Osaka prefecture (12,926 companies, 6.6%), Kanagawa prefecture (12,602 companies, 6.5%) and Saitama prefecture (9,103 companies, 4.75).
◆ Current Status Broken Down by Industry
Broken down by industry, the manufacturing industry employs the greatest number of foreign employees, a total of 30.2% of all foreign workers in Japan. In contrast, there is a decrease of foreign workers employed in the architectural and hospitality industries.
