Int’l Desk:

The number of foreign workers in Japan is projected to be 6.9 million by 2040 – almost a million short of what is required to meet the government’s economic growth target, according to a JICA estimate.

With the influx of much-needed migrants from Southeast Asian countries slowing, the local currency weakening, and Japan’s human rights issues persisting, policymakers face an uphill task to boost rate of foreign workers’ inflow from current figures.

At the current pace, 5.91 million foreigners will be working in Japan in 2040. But it would be significantly inadequate to ensure the targeted average annual growth rate of 1.24%, the Japan International Cooperation Agency’s (JICA) research arm said Thursday.

The demand-supply gap in foreign workforce has widened more than twofold from JICA’S 2022 estimate, the nonprofit said amid slower-than-expected economic growth in emigrating countries like Vietnam, Myanmar and Cambodia.

Foreign workers are crucial to the world’s fourth biggest economy as they fill up a severe labour shortage created by a rapidly ageing native population and plummeting birthrate.

The Japanese people had for long held reservations about allowing foreigners into their societies. But, the growing number forecasts on a dire economic future has nudged many into accepting a change, encouraging the government to expand work visa permits to several blue-collar and skill-based jobs. Source: Bangkok Post