In the age of globalization, talent mobility is key to elevating a nation’s competitiveness.
In recent years, Japan has been trying to solve its labor shortage through a set of innovative measures, working hard to attract migrant workers and talents.
As every country endeavors to attract more talent, Japan’s strategy and achievements are useful and inspirational for Taiwan to consider.
The Japanese government has stipulated a residence status called “specified skilled worker” to give foreign nationals more opportunities to work in Japan. It is said more foreigners would be eligible for this status.
From this year to 2029, about 820,000 foreign workers are expected to move to and reside in Japan, more than double the current number.
Behind these numbers is an urgency to solve its labor shortage problem and a determination to deal with it.
Japan focuses on a few critical industrial sectors, including construction, manufacturing and caregiving. These are the pillars of the Japanese economy that are in most need of an injection of workers.
More than 170,000 foreign workers are to be brought in and allocated to those three sectors, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare have said.
More measures have been designed and implemented to make it easier for foreign nationals to live in Japan.
In addition to revising the policy on residential status, the Japanese government has been improving a support network that would help workers adjust more quickly to their work environment and offer more ways to learn the language. It also provides necessary assistance in the workers’ everyday lives.
The support network is comprehensive. That way, foreign nationals would be able to not only “work” in Japan, but also “live” in Japan. They would become a part of society.
Taiwan should learn a lesson from Japan.
Confronted by a twofold issue of an aging population and a labor shortage, Taiwan should work harder to attract foreign talent.
So far, Taiwan has been focused on bringing in more foreign nationals for the manufacturing and caregiving sectors.
However, more high-skilled workers and professionals should also be brought in. Moreover, the government must provide more assistance to help foreign nationals live in Taiwan and become part of society.
About 2 million foreign workers lived in Japan last year, statistics showed. The Japan International Cooperation Agency estimated that to reach the goal of increasing foreign workers in Japan to a certain number, Japan should attract about 6.74 million foreign workers to the country this year.
The drastic increase would have a significant impact on Japan’s economy and society. It provides other countries — including Taiwan — with an example to learn from.
Taiwan should learn from how Japan has taken the initiative and devised innovative measures to tackle its labor shortage problem. It should be inspired by how Japan designs its policy, sets up objectives and establishes a support network.
Drawing inspiration from Japan’s experience, Taiwan should lay out its own strategy to attract foreign talent and help them become a part of Taiwanese society.
This is the way to tackle the nation’s labor shortages and is a necessary step in becoming an open-minded society.
Chang Yi-ying is self-employed.
Translated by Emma Liu
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