Column / 2020.07.30
The jobs of approximately 80% of foreign residents in Japan affected by the novel coronavirus: a survey by YOLO JAPAN
Some even say that they are "worried about working in Japan" due to pay cuts and hour cuts.
According to a labor survey released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications in June this year, there are many unemployed people across various industries that have many foreign workers, especially the manufacturing industry and the lodging/restaurant service industry. Therefore, YOLO JAPAN Co., Ltd., which operates one of the largest media in Japan, with over 160,000 registered members from 226 countries (President: Taisuke Kaji, Osaka Head Office: Naniwa Ward, Osaka City, hereinafter "YOLO JAPAN"), conducted a survey* among working foreign nationals residing in Japan who are facing difficulties in corona damage on the impact of the spread of the novel coronavirus infection.
According to the survey, 79% of working foreigners living in Japan responded that their work has been affected by the spread of the novel coronavirus, and more than half of workers responded that their hours have been decreased.
※Survey period: June 15, 2020 - July 16, 2020, Respondents: 234 YOLO JAPAN users from 49 countries
Looking at the details, among those who answered that their work was affected, one in two responded, "My hours were decreased" (55%), as well as, "There was no work to do / I was fired" (35%) and "My pay was decreased" (35%). We can see that foreign residents in Japan were also affected by the spread of the novel coronavirus. Based on these results, we conducted telehone interviews with the survey respondents in order to further investigate the difficult situation foreign residents are facing.
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Joana (20s, female), who came to Japan 2 years ago from Indonesia and attends university on a scholarship while working at a restaurant in Saitama Prefecture, had her hours cut by 33% in April and was unable to continue commuting to university. She was also worried about her family in Indonesia, where the spread of the novel coronavirus was more serious than in Japan. At the same time, she said, "I wanted to continue working in Japan after graduation, but now that it's difficult for foreigners to find employment in Japan, I'm not sure about what the future holds."
She added, "I can't make a lot of money due to my hours being cut, and my parents are having a hard time financially in Indonesia, so I can't ask them for help. I have to eat cheaply every day. I miss my family in Indonesia. I hope everything returns to normal soon."
Also, not only part-time employees, but foreigners working as full-time employees have had their work affected by the novel coronavirus. We spoke with a member who actually works at a company who reduced their workforce.
Danang (30s, female) from the Philippines is working in human resources at a company in the tourism industry that was particularly affected by the novel coronavirus. She was asked to inform many employees, including foreign residents, of their dismissal. She told us in a pained voice, "The coronavirus adversely affected our business performance, and the company decided to dismiss 70% of their Japanese/foreign resident staff. There was a lot of resistance from people, especially those in their 20s and 30s, and I felt absolutely terrible." Additionally, with a vexed manner she said, "my salary was also cut by 20%. If this situation continues until winter, I was told that even full-time employees would have their employment contract changed to an unfavorable one where they would be paid on an hourly basis."
On the other hand, we were able to hear from foreigners who found part-time employment through the recruitment service for foreigners provided by YOLO JAPAN. Shengdi, a girl in her teens who came to Japan 3 years ago and who lives with her family, said, "although I wanted to work, I was scared to apply because I had no confidence in my Japanese."
With a soft voice, Shengdi said, "in order to find employment, I wanted to move from Kyoto to Tokyo, but when the coronavirus pandemic struck my mother lost her job. In order to help out with my family's finances, I gave up moving to Tokyo, and I decided to continue to live with my family. In the past, I was scared of having to go to a job interview, but because my family's situation had become difficult due to the coronavirus pandemic, I needed to find a job. I used YOLO JAPAN's recruitment service for foreigners, and I was able to find part-time employment as a caregiver."
Based on the results of this survey, during and after the coronavirus era, we will further strengthen our support of foreigners living in Japan, including foreigners who are undergoing difficult times as a result of this coronavirus pandemic.
■YOLO JAPAN
To help foreigners have a prosperous life in Japan, we operate a job search media for foreigners that has 160,000 members from 226 countries. We also support Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by providing services such as 'YOLO Delivery' and 'YOLO PREMIUM OFFICE' to create jobs for foreign residents.
YOLO JAPAN Co., Ltd.:
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