Toward a Comprehensive Estimate of the Number of Foreign Workers in Japan
Abstract
Foreign workers are playing an increasingly important role in Japan’s economy, but their total number is undetermined. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) publishes an annual study on the number of foreign workers reported by employers; however, its data is not comprehensive or reliable because it ignores important categories of workers and does not include unreported employees due to the data collection process. In this article, a new method is proposed for providing a comprehensive estimate of the total number of foreign workers based on national census results and data on foreign residents issued by the Ministry of Justice. Estimates of the total number of workers are calculated for the years 2009 to 2016, and compared with the MHLW’s data. The estimates calculated with the proposed method are consistently above the MHLW’s figures over those years, and about 35% higher in 2016. The reasons for the differences are explained, and it is argued that the proposed method enables more credible and realistic data than the results of the MHLW’s annual study.
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Another 20% of foreigners working in Japan in late 2016 were students who were allowed to work up to 27 hours per week and since the late 1980s increasingly filled positions in restaurants, shops and services.
“Another 20% were students who were allowed to work up to 27 hours per week and since the late 1980s increasingly filled positions in restaurants, shops and services (Hennings & Mintz, 2018).”
From The Oldest Societies in Asia: The Politics of Ageing in South Korea and Japan (2021) · cites this paper as Hennings & Mintz, 2018
According to Hennings and Mintz (2018: 112), the size of Japan's foreign workforce has been continuously underestimated, mainly because the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has published incomplete and flawed data.
“According to the count of Hennings and Mintz (2018: 112), the”
From The Oldest Societies in Asia: The Politics of Ageing in South Korea and Japan (2021) · cites this paper as Hennings & Mintz, 2018
In late 2016, close to 20% of foreigners working in Japan belonged to the trainee programme.
“In fact, in late 2016, close to 20% of foreigners working in Japan belonged to the above-mentioned trainee programme.”
From The Oldest Societies in Asia: The Politics of Ageing in South Korea and Japan (2021) · cites this paper as Hennings & Mintz, 2018
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Education in East Asian Societies: Postwar Expansion and the Evolution of Inequality
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“This demographic shift negatively impacts economic productivity, competitiveness, and innovation due to a potential shortage of skilled labour (Hennings & Mintz, 2018).”
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Muranaka, A. (2026) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-981-95-8887-9_1
Crossing borders, shaping careers: internationalization of labour in Japan?
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- Authors
- HENNINGS, M., & MINTZ, S.
- Affiliations
- Kwansei Gakuin University (JP)
- Corresponding author
- HENNINGS, Matthias
- MINTZ, Scott
- ORCID
- HENNINGS, Matthias
- Venue
- Social Science Japan Journal
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2017-12-21
- Volume
- 21
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 103-115
- ISSN
- 1369-1465 (ISSN-L)
- 1468-2680
- OpenAlex
- W2776136664
- Cited by
- 8
- References
- 12
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2024: 1 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 1
- FWCI
- 0.57
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Social Science Japan Journal (publishedVersion)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Mathematics › Statistics and Probability › Census and Population Estimation
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Migration and Labor Dynamics
- Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Labour Market and Migration
- Keywords
- foreign workers, foreign residents, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, immigration statistics, Japan
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