Vietnam's labour force contributes to Japan’s post-pandemic recovery

Vietnam continues to be one of the important sources of workers for Japan’s economic recovery and development in the post-COVID-19 period, according to the Japanese magazine Modern Business.

Vietnamese workers learn Japanese language (Photo: VNA)

The publication cited a report from Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare which said that in October 2020, the number of foreign employees in the country reached a record high of 1.72 million, a year-on-year increase of 4 percent.

Health and social welfare, and construction sectors saw surges in the number of foreign workers, with 26.8 percent and 19 percent, respectively.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Japan applied restrictions on entry to the country. However, in the middle of last year, the government approved an exceptional framework that allows the entry of certain workers who meet pandemic prevention conditions such as testing negative for COVID-19 before arrival and undergoing a 14-day self-quarantine.

Thanks to Vietnam's effective control of coronavirus prevention, its number of workers in Japan grew by 10.6 percent in 2020 to nearly 444,000.

The article said the demand for foreign workers will continue to rise after Japan ends the state of emergency and will increase even higher when the pandemic is put under control.

Source: VNA