Pandemic Triggers Threats Of Mass Layoffs Of Foreign Workers In Japan

Photo illustration (Science in HD / Unsplash)

JAKARTA - In Indonesia, the "import" of hundreds of foreign workers was heard loudly. In Japan it is quite the opposite. Foreign workers are threatened with massive dismissal due to the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Brazilian worker Rennan Yamashita (31), for example. A Channel News Asia reporter met him at a Japanese government office processing unemployment insurance forms. He has lost his job for the ninth time.

Yamashita was laid off from his job at an auto parts factory several weeks earlier. He only had time to work for four months at the factory.

"If they need you, you will be hired. If not, they will fire you. It's that simple," said Yamashita.

A woman of Brazilian-Japanese crossbreed, Kaori Nakao experienced the same thing. Her employer at an auto parts factory laid off her because there was a reduction in production as a result of the pandemic. He was also asked to leave the company apartment where he had been living.

"Even though I just wanted to work," said Nakao. "I don't have money. I can't even buy food for my child."

The pandemic has eaten away at the economy of Sakura Country. As a result, many factories, including automotive manufacturers, reduce their production.

Foreign workers are a group that is vulnerable to dismissal. Weak network support and language limitations in the country where they live make it difficult for them to seek government assistance.

Worried about mass layoffs

Union groups, labor lawyers and NGOs said foreign workers like Yamashita were the first to lose their jobs due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is feared that the incident will spill over into mass layoffs like what happened in the 2008 financial crisis.

Last month, the Japan Center for Economic Research estimated that if Japan's GDP fell 25 percent this year, the unemployment rate would reach five percent and about two million people could lose their jobs.

The city of Mie, which is the center of manufacturing in Japan, is already experiencing the symptoms of the crisis. According to a labor organization based in Mie, they have received four hundred consultations from workers affected by the economic crisis. A total of 330 people are foreign workers.

Illustration of workers in a jet manufacturing plant (Laurel and Michael Evans / Unsplash)

"Foreign workers on short-term contracts are dismissed first," because they are easier to fire, said Mie union organizer Akai Jimbu.

Last year, it was recorded that 34.5 percent of foreign employees at Mie were temporary workers. "It's like they're hired so they can get fired when things get tough. They're just a spare" screw "in the eyes of the employer," Jimbu said.

Dependence of foreign workers

The prolonged pandemic has made the threat of dismissal even more real, especially in the morning for foreign workers. In fact, Japan's dependence on foreign workers is quite high.

This is because the country's working population is small and a third of the population is 65 years old. Therefore the Japanese government has relaxed immigration restrictions.

As of October 2019, more than 1.6 million foreign workers supported their economy. That number increased four times as much as 2008.

A labor ministry official told Reuters they had not officially recorded the number of foreign workers laid off. The reason is because they support all classes of workers regardless of nationality.

Recently the Japanese government has allocated 3.46 million US dollars to increase multilingual capabilities for foreigners in unemployed offices as well as online. However, not many foreign workers take advantage of it.