Hiring foreigners 'unavoidable' for firms in Kyoto Pref. city amid labor shortage: survey

Fukuchiyama, located in Kyoto Prefecture, recently conducted a survey revealing that 90% of local companies rely on foreign workers due to labor shortages, according to results released on September 24. The survey was carried out by the Kyoto Tamba-Tango Network, a nonprofit organization, and the research office of Zhang Mingjun, an associate professor at the University of Fukuchiyama.

The study analyzed responses from 32 companies across various industries, including manufacturing, construction, nursing care and welfare, and other fields.

In the manufacturing sector, 11 companies, while in nursing care and welfare, seven companies participated. Additionally, seven companies from other industries contributed to the survey. Among these, 20 businesses employed 30 or more workers, while 8 companies had between 11 and 30 employees. Of the foreign workers, the primary nationalities were Vietnamese, Indonesian, and Chinese.

Regarding their future policy on employing foreign workers, 10 companies expressed a desire to increase such hiring, while 10 others preferred to maintain their current level of foreign workforce, accounting for 60% of the respondents. No company indicated a possibility of reducing their use of foreign workers. The survey findings suggest that companies are evolving their perspective on foreign employees, viewing them as indispensable to their workforce.

The survey also revealed that 83.3% of companies believed establishing a system to facilitate community participation for these workers was necessary. Likewise, 73.3% of businesses advocated for collaboration with government and community organizations to ease the burden on companies. However, only 58.1% of companies reported having established connections with the community, highlighting a gap between expectations and reality.

Current practices include community event participation (22.6%), local exchanges (16.1%), interaction with neighborhood associations and groups (12.9%), and consultation with government and community groups for support (12.9%).

In response to the labor shortage, companies in Fukuchiyama must navigate challenges such as language barriers for foreign workers and weak community ties. The survey report, which encompasses three surveys - one for companies employing foreign workers, interviews with foreign workers, and interviews with companies - and a comprehensive analysis of the results, offers recommendations for companies, government agencies, and support groups to address these issues.

The comprehensive report, titled "Beyond the workplace, into the community: foreign workers' employment and lives, and companies' support for acceptance and retention," spans 32 A4 pages. For inquiries, interested parties can contact the Kyoto Tamba-Tango Network at 0773-45-3507 or tantan@kyoto-tantan.net.