Japan to face shortage of around 1 million foreign workers, experts warn

TOKYO - The government of Japan is facing a dilemma of unprecedented intensity due to the population crisis as the nation tries to grow economically.

The country faces a shortage of almost one million foreign workers, 9,70,000 to be precise, in 2040 if the economic growth goals have to be realized.

The estimate from a state-backed think tank revealed on Thursday is enough to scare policymakers and citizens alike. 

Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)'s research arm has implied that at the current pace, 5.91 million foreign people will be working in the country in 2040, almost one million short of the foreign workforce needed to sustain the targeted average annual growth rate of 1.24%.

Over the past 15 years, the population of foreign workers in Japan has surged more than fourfold to reach 2.05 million individuals, constituting approximately 3% of the total workforce as of October last year. 

To face the challenge, the authorities have expanded work visa permits to several blue-collar sectors and skilled jobs while easing the entry of foreign workers into the labor force. 

Experts believe that despite the efforts, multiple issues including the currency's weakness, conventionally low wages, and human rights issues threaten the country's economic growth.

Though the country is progressing, Japan's birth crisis has skyrocketed in recent years, triggering the government to launch an official dating app to help people get married and start families. The decision was taken after the country witnessed record-low birth and marriage rates. The latest data released by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare showed Japan only recorded 727,277 births last year.