The number of foreign workers in Japan reached a new high, underscoring the country’s growing reliance on people from overseas to address its chronic labor shortage.
Japan had a record 2.3 million foreign workers as of October 2024, marking a 12.4% increase from the previous year, according to labor ministry figures released Friday. The number of businesses employing at least one foreign worker also hit a record high of around 342,000, up 7.3% from a year ago, the report showed.
The steady rise highlights Japan’s increasing dependence on overseas labor as the nation struggles with a shrinking workforce, a trend that has persisted since its working-age population peaked in 1995. Japan’s unemployment rate has been below 3% for almost four years, remaining among the lowest in advanced nations. The aging nation will need 6.88 million foreign workers in 2040 to meet its growth targets, according to an estimate by the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.