## Employment Measures for Foreign Workers

## Overview Basic Concept of Employment Measures for Foreign Workers

[Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act]

Acceptance range of foreign workers is decided with comprehensive consideration given to “impact on the industries of Japan, the people’s life, etc.”.

[Employment Countermeasures Act] (revised in June, 2007, enforced on October 1, 2007)

• Measures that the government must take are clarified as follows.

Promotion of employment of foreign workers in specialized and technical fields

Improvement of employment management and promotion of reemployment of foreign workers

Prevention of illegal work by foreign workers

• Employers are obliged to make efforts to improve employment management and support reemployment of foreign workers, and to report the situation of employment of foreign workers.

• Guidelines that detail the measures business operators are obliged to take for the employment management improvement of foreign workers have been notified in accordance with the Employment Countermeasures Act.

## [Basic principles of the employment policy (Notification by Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare in February 2008)]

From the viewpoint of the international competitiveness intensification, employment To improve the foreign worker's working environment based on the "Foreign Workers Guidelines".

of foreign workers in

specialized and technical

fields in Japan is to be

promoted positively.

[Support for foreign workers in specialized and technical fields]

• Promotion of employment of foreign workers in specialized and technical fields by utilizing the nation-wide network mainly consisting of Employment Service Centers for Foreign Workers (Tokyo, Aichi, Osaka) and Fukuoka Hello Work to Support New Graduates.

• Promotion of employment of foreign students in Japan in collaboration with college graduates sections of Hello Works and concerned sections of colleges, and implementation of internship programs for foreign students.

* Expansion of the acceptance range of foreign workers including that of unskilled labour may intensify the dual structure of the labour market and obstruct improvement in working conditions, resulting in hindering business operators to meet demand for labour and securing personnel.

* Realizing the participation of Japanese youth, females, and elderly, etc. in the labour market is of primary importance in ensuring a secure labour force (same purpose as that of the New Growth Strategy).

[Measures for appropriate and stable employment of foreign workers]

• Promotion of improvement in foreign workers employment management by disseminating and enlightening employers the Foreign Workers Guidelines and by instructing them at offices based on the Guidelines

• Implementation of flexible employment measures to cope with the rapid aggravation in the employment situation of foreign workers of Japanese ancestry.

1) Flexible measures to reinforce the consultation and support functions of Hello Works by increasing interpreters and counselors, etc.

2) Implementation of working preparation training including improvement of communication ability in Japanese.

Notification of the reporting system that all employers are obliged to report the situation of foreign workers employment (part of the employers' compliance)

## Detailed Data

## Percentage of foreign worker by status of residence

Source: “Situation of Notified Foreign National Employment Status” (as of the end of October 2012), MHLW

(Note 1) “Status of residence based on personal status or position” includes “permanent resident”, “spouse or child of Japanese

(Note 2) “Status of residence in specialized/technical field” includes “professor”, “artist”, “religious activities”, “journalist”,