Economic Benefits and Social Costs of Receiving Foreign Workers: A Survey on Small and Medium Firms and Community in Japan

2013 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24830061
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Economic policy
• Research Institution: Saga University
• Principal Investigator: KAGE RIE 佐賀大学, 経済学部, 客員研究員 (90638826)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-08-31 – 2014-03-31
• Keywords: 外国人労働者受入れ / 日本の労働力不足 / 農業分野

Research Abstract

These days, Japan has been concerned over the labour force scarcity in almost all industries due to the falling birthrate and aging. Particularly in the regional areas, a depopulation and aging cause more industrial decline and community weakening. This study examines the foreign labour acceptance by the Industrial Training and Technical Internship Programme in the field of agriculture. The quantity and quality of work force is absolutely limited in the regional areas. Therefore, the condition makes it difficult that a management for economy of scale, and the youth cannot find the workplace and their life in the areas. The programme contributes to the solving the lack of labour and maintains the industries. While, there are some problems on language barrier and the cultural misunderstanding. Furthermore, NGO and labour sending government reported that there are some serious cases of the trouble in the labor-management relations, no payments, and the escape of the trainees.