Who is Coming to Japan Under The New Status of Residence “Specified Skilled Care Workers”?

The Japanese government created a new status of residence called “Specified Skilled Workers” encompassing 14 job categories that have laborer shortages, including long-term care (LTC) workers on April 1, 2019. A survey of students (N=79) at a language institute in Manila, Philippines was conducted in February, 2020 to explore characteristics of future foreign LTC workers in Japan under this new status of residence and identify factors that may help facilitate worker retention. At the time of data collected, these students were studying both Japanese and LTC practices in order to pass skill evaluation tests to enter Japan. Students were asked their perceptions of long-term care, planned lengths of stay, concerns about staying in Japan, and future career plans. Preliminary analyses revealed that 67 (88%) were single, 74(93.7%) had graduated from universities, and a half of them had a nursing background. Most students (93.7%) showed interest in an extended stay in Japan, with some interested in taking the national certified care worker examination which permits extended work in Japan. The most cited concern about being in Japan was “weather, climate and typhoons” (28.1%), followed by “language proficiency” and “living expenses” (21.9%) respectively. As Japan has limited immigration policies but a large need for LTC workers, it is imperative to understand how to attract and retain foreigners who obtain the Specified Skilled Worker status. This includes addressing both work-related and living-related concerns and needs.