Foreign workers in Japan hit record high for 5th year

January 27, 2018

Tokyo- The number of foreign workers in Japan at the end of October 2017 grew 18 percent from a year before to 1,278,760, hitting a record for the fifth straight year, the labor ministry said Friday.

Japanese companies accepted more students, technical trainees and people with expertise from abroad amid the improving domestic job market.

By prefecture, the number of foreign workers was the highest in Tokyo, at 394,834, up 18.5 percent. Aichi ranked second, with 129,155 workers, up 16.6 percent, followed by Osaka, with 72,226, up 22.4 percent, Kanagawa, with 69,400, up 15.4 percent, and Saitama, with 55,534, up 26.2 percent.

The combined figure in the five prefectures accounted for more than 50 percent of the total.

By nationality, Chinese made up the largest group, at 372,263, up 8 percent. Vietnamese came second, at 240,259, up 39.7 percent, Filipinos third, at 146,798, up 15.1 percent, Brazilians fourth, at 117,299, up 10 percent, and Nepalese fifth, at 69,111. up 31 percent.

The surge in the number of Nepalese workers reflected a sharp increase in students from the Himalayan country.

The manufacturing sector had the highest number of foreign workers among industrial sectors, standing at 385,997, up 14 percent.

Sectors suffering labor shortages saw high growth--34.2 percent in the construction sector, 24.7 percent in the medical and welfare sector, and 19.3 percent in the wholesale and retail sector.

The number of companies with foreign workers increased 12.6 pct to a record 194,595. Jiji Press