WIDER EFFECTS
Industry observers say the impact of the hiring freeze could extend beyond restaurants.
Yoko Kono, a manager at an agency that dispatches foreign workers from Myanmar to Japan, said demand from the food services sector has grown rapidly in recent years.
“We have (dispatched) in total about 1,000 (foreign workers). Most were to the nursing sector. Starting two years ago, demand increased in the restaurant business. Cafeterias in nursing homes are also considered restaurants,” she said.
In rural Japan, where populations are shrinking faster, businesses say the policy could hit harder due to a smaller labour pool. Industry players warned the restriction would worsen staffing challenges.
“It’s a headache. The government should not set a uniform restriction on the acceptable number in rural areas and cities, but should differentiate. To revitalise the rural areas, a bigger workforce is needed,” said Hiroki Arisu, president of Funasaka Shuzo, a restaurant operator based in Takayama, Gifu Prefecture.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/east-asia/japan-halts-foreign-worker-intake-food-services-quota-6055366
