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Japan Foreign Workers
Traditionally, Japan has had strict laws regarding the
employment of foreigners, although exceptions were made
for certain
occupational categories. Excepted categories have included
executives and managers engaged in commercial activities,
full-time
scholars associated with research and education
institutions,
professional entertainers, engineers and others
specializing in
advanced technology, foreign-language teachers, and others
with
special skills unavailable among Japanese nationals.
The problems of foreign workers in the labor force were
expected to continue throughout the 1990s. Despite the
long-term
upward trend in the unemployment rate, many unpopular jobs
go
unfilled and the domestic labor market is sluggish.
Imported labor
is seen as a solution to this situation by some employers,
who hire
low-paid foreign workers, who are, in turn, enticed by
comparatively high Japanese wages. The strict immigration
laws are
expected to remain on the books, however, although the
influx of
illegal aliens from nearby Asian countries to participate
in the
labor market is likely to increase (see
table 17,
Appendix).
Data as of January 1994
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