On January 15th, 2019, Pasona Institute, one of the leading human resource think tanks in Japan, published the result of their survey of Filipinos who work as housekeepers in the National Strategic Special Zone.
The survey found that 93% of the workers want an extension for the period of residency of their visa, which is currently 3 years. Furthermore, they also expressed that they want to work in Japan again after their visa has expired. The survey also found 90% of them are “very interested” in holding the new residence visa status that will be enforced by the reformed immigration law this coming April.
Among the advantages of working as a housekeeper in Japan, “the wages and benefits” （78.3％）, “ the freedom to live outside of the employer’s house” （65.7％）, and “good characters of Japanese people” （60.2％） ranked high. Housekeepers in many other countries live in the employer’s home to work, so working as a dispatch housekeeper is attractive from their perspective.
Conversely, among the difficulties of working in Japan, “Japanese language”（84.9％） topped others, with “complexity of transportation” （56.9％） and “how to use electric home appliances” （40.4％） following. The survey clearly shows many workers feel strongly that the language barrier is one of the most challenging aspects.
Because of Japan’s recent social progress of women in the workforce, the aging society, and the low birth rate, there is a growing demand for more foreign workers, especially in the fields of housekeeping and elderly care services. To provide optimal working conditions for foreign workers, as Japan starts actively opening up the country to accept more workers from overseas, as well as offering a good salary and benefits, there is a strong need for the development of a less complicated transportation system, as well as more language support.
jopus Editorial Dep.
