VNExpress-Nov 11
Japan is set to reduce entry costs and ease restrictions for Vietnamese workers under a new initiative, enabling shared departure expenses and more flexible job transfers to enhance migrant work conditions. In June, the Japanese Parliament amended legislation to introduce an employment system focused on skill development, gradually replacing the intern training program to better support immigrant retention. Under the new system, host companies and workers will split travel costs to Japan, easing the financial burden on employees, said Ishii Chikahisa, First Secretary at the Japanese Embassy in Vietnam. Additionally, workers who meet specific criteria will have the flexibility to change jobs rather than being restricted to a single employer for three years, Chikahisa said at a job fair for employment in Japan, held in Hanoi last week. The revamped employment system will also serve as a preparatory pathway for Japan’s “Specified Skilled Worker” program, allowing workers to gain skills for more specialized roles and longer-term residency in Japan, he said. While wages under the new program may not see immediate increases, Chikahisa noted they are expected to improve compared to those in the current Technical Intern Training Program, a government-run program that allows foreign workers to acquire industrial and vocational skills in Japan for up to five years. The technical intern program has been criticized for offering only minimum wages without bonuses or allowances and restricting job mobility. As of June 2024, Japan’s Vietnamese community exceeded 600,000, primarily comprising workers and students, making it the second-largest foreign community in Japan.
With over 200,000 participants, Vietnam currently leads among the 15 countries sending technical interns to Japan. Vietnamese workers also constitute the largest proportion of participants in the Specified Skilled Worker program, totaling around 110,600 workers. Read more at:
