TOKYO: The government stopped accepting new foreigners working in the food service sector under the Specified Skilled Workers (SSW) programme in mid-April in principle because the number of those allowed to work in the sector is expected to reach its limit of 50,000 as early as this month.
Given the recent surge in the number of foreign workers with SSW type 1, a status of residence granted to those with specific expertise or skills, the food service sector has been increasingly depending on them amid a chronic labor shortage.
With the programme being suspended in the sector, many companies are struggling to find solutions.
Revising plans
“We create store operation plans based on future hiring prospects,” said an official from the company that operates the Yudetaro soba chain. “Now, we don’t have such prospects, so we are very concerned.”
The company planned to provide scholarships to 20 students from Myanmar in the 2026 fiscal year on the premise that they would obtain SSW type 1 status and to hire them as full-time employees in the future.
However, with the suspension of the program in the sector, the company does not know if it will be able to hire them. The company has yet to decide on ways to deal with those international students.
In recent years, Yudetaro has been hiring an increasing number of foreigners with SSW status to work in stores. “There is no guarantee that we will be able to hire Japanese workers instead,” the official said.
Skylark Holdings Co, which employs about 270 foreigners with SSW type 1 status at Japanese family restaurant chains such as Gusto and Bamiyan, planned to have about 30 international student part-time workers take exams to obtain the status this year in order to hire them as full-time employees in the future. However, the company was forced to postpone the plan.
“There are many foreign workers interested in customer service and cooking, so it’s disappointing that their path to building a career has been cut off,” a company official said.
Service quality may decline
SSW type 1 is a status of residence created in 2019 to attract skilled workers to sectors facing labour shortages.
In addition to type 1 status, which allows for a maximum stay of five years, there is type 2 status that can be renewed indefinitely. The latter requires more advanced skills.
Quotas for type 1 workers are set by sector. The food service sector’s quota is 50,000 personnel over a five-year period until the end of March 2029. This quota is lower than those for other sectors such as food and beverage manufacturing at 133,500 and nursing care at 126,900.
As demand from international visitors recovers after the end of the Covid-19 pandemic, the food service industry faces a serious labor shortage.
As of the end of December, 43,869 type 1 workers had been accepted, a rapid increase of 8.5 times the number from three years ago. The figure reached 46,000 on a preliminary basis at the end of February, coming close to the limit.
With the number approaching the limit, the government decided in March to suspend the acceptance of new type 1 workers to be employed in the food service sector in principle.
“Many companies create their human resource management plans on an annual basis, making it difficult for them to respond to sudden changes,” said Shohei Sugita, a lawyer who is familiar with issues regarding the employment of foreign nationals.
“As a result, they are forced to operate their stores with limited staff, which could lead to long working hours and declining service levels such as reduced business hours.”
Request to raise limit
Industry groups are calling for the situation to be addressed. The Japan Foodservice Association is preparing to make a request to the government to raise the limit.
As reasons for the request, an association official said, “Suspending the acceptance of type 1 workers will exacerbate the labor shortage and could lead to the revision of store opening plans. Also, a sudden revocation of job offers will undermine trust from foreign workers.”
The competition to hire existing type 1 workers is also coming to the fore.
DAI, a company operating pork-broth soy sauce ramen restaurants mainly in Aichi Prefecture, expanded its long-term leave system for type 1 workers starting in April to allow them to make temporary returns to their home countries.
Regarding the measure, a company official said, “By enhancing employee benefits, we aim to prevent current employees from quitting and attract type 1 workers from other companies.”
In the future, more companies may strengthen the recruitment of Japanese employees by improving their working conditions in order to compensate for the shortage of foreign workers. - The Yomiuri Shimbun
