A New Perspective on Japan's Labor Immigration Policy: An OECD Report Partially Supports TITP Overview
My co-authored paper, “Recruiting Immigrant Workers: Japan 2024,” was published by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development on June 30, 2024 (henceforth referred to as “the OECD…
My co-authored paper, “Recruiting Immigrant Workers: Japan 2024,” was published by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development on June 30, 2024 (henceforth referred to as “the OECD report”). This book is the twelfth in a series on labour migration policy among the member nations of the OECD.In affluent nations worldwide, immigration has become one of the most confusing and contentious topics. Due to its significant involvement in the US presidential election this past November, it has garnered special attention recently. One of the relatively few published resources that offer a thorough analysis of nations' sometimes intricate and cryptic labour immigration processes, along with a discussion of key concerns and reform suggestions, is the OECD series. As a result, it is now a crucial resource for those who create immigration policy. Three years, from 2021 to 2024, were spent researching and compiling the report on Japan.When discussing its own rules on the admission of foreign labour, the Japanese government refrains from using the term imin, which means "immigrant" or "migrant." A migration (or immigration) policy is merely a government's structure for handling and reacting to such movement, and in international circles, such as the OECD, migrants are described as individuals who migrate to different nations. These criteria indicate that immigrants and an immigration policy exist in Japan.
Is it closed to foreigners in Japan?
The percentage of foreign-born people (immigrants) in Japan's population places it close to the bottom of the OECD's member nations, according to the study. The authors of the survey, however, disagree with the notion that Japan is an inaccessible nation.The working-age population in Japan has drastically decreased as a result of the country's fast ageing society during the past few decades. To address the structural issues with the market, the Japanese government has implemented a variety of initiatives. The primary focus has been on increasing productivity and promoting wider labour force participation among Japanese nationals. However, a labour migration strategy is becoming more widely recognized as a sensible reaction to labour market structural changes. Furthermore, in certain areas, particularly those most affected by demographic shifts, that approach is genuinely making headway.According to the OECD research, all skilled workers must have a valid Japanese employment contract in order to be admitted, and labour migration to Japan is demand-driven, meaning it is pushed by Japanese businesses.
A Novel Approach to the TITP
The Technical Intern Training Program, the only authorized route for the entry of unskilled labourers into Japan, receives a significant amount of attention in the OECD assessment. Three characteristics of the TITP stand out when seen from an international perspective: (1) the importance of training and testing; (2) the participation of several players, including "supervising organizations"; and (3) the fact that the majority of the program's expenses are covered by fees collected from Japanese enterprises.Regarding the first point, the research points out that training and testing are not widely used in temporary labour migration schemes around the globe. In keeping with the heritage of Japanese-style employment, the majority of training under the TITP is on-the-job training that emphasizes "soft skills" like discipline and cleanliness. The necessity to make tests more detailed and pertinent to the work that is actually done is covered in the study. This sets it apart from earlier TITP criticisms, which have tended to write off the Japanese emphasis on "skill formation" as pro forma.
