Study on making system to retain agriculture workforce in Hokkaido, paying attention to new labor sources

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K06268
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 41020:Rural sociology and agricultural structure-related
• Research Institution: Hokkaido University
• Principal Investigator: Higashiyama Kan 北海道大学, 農学研究院, 教授 (60279502)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 農業労働力 / 労働力支援 / 外国人材 / 技能実習 / 特定技能 / 農作業請負方式 / 産地間連携 / 農協

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We highlighted a problem of securing temporary workforces in family farming. We selected typical performance to address shortage of farm labor by JA (agricultural cooperative). In this case, the JA has been employing some types of support-staffs including Japanese employees, technical interns and specific skilled foreigners. We have continued observe this case for five years and confirmed the fact of increasing foreign workers. We found that there are three factors of the expansion; (1) statuses of residence for foreigners have been double-tracked in agriculture sector, (2) accepting route is single in the case of foreign trainees, however specific skilled workers are hired through various introducing ways, (3) the JA has been trying secure year-round employment for all kind of staffs, thus made a collaboration agreement with the specific western Japan JA to create jobs especially in the winter season of Hokkaido and engage their employees in farmwork at that place.

Free Research Field

農業経済学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究が対象とした事例では、農協（単協）が農作業支援スタッフを直接雇用しているが、外国人材への依存度が強まっていた。継続的な実態調査によりその内実をまとめると、①2019年度に新たな在留資格である特定技能が創設され、従来の技能実習と合わせて在留資格の複線化が量的拡大をもたらしていること、②技能実習の受入れルートは単一であるが、特定技能は複数ルートが存在しており、そのことが量的拡大を後押ししていること、③量的拡大に伴い、労働力需要期が異なる西日本のＪＡと連携し、産地間リレー形態の就業パターンを組み立てて安定的な通年雇用を実現していること、の３点を新たなファクト・ファインディングとして提示した。