A recent survey by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has revealed that the majority of foreign workers in training or specified skilled worker programs send a large portion of their income back to their home countries.
According to the 2024 survey, over 80% of technical interns (83.5%) and specified skilled workers (81.6%) reported sending money home. This figure is much higher compared to foreign workers holding other types of visas.
The survey, which collected valid responses from 3,623 workplaces and 11,568 foreign workers nationwide, is part of the ministry’s ongoing research into the employment environment for non-Japanese workers. It is only the second year such a survey has been conducted, and the first time it included questions about remittances.
Key Findings:
- Overall remittances: About 54.8% of all foreign workers in Japan send money to their families overseas.
- Average amount: Foreign workers sent an average of 1.04 million yen ($7,080) in 2024.
- Technical interns sent 1.23 million yen on average.
- Specified skilled workers sent about 1.06 million yen.
- Technical interns sent 1.23 million yen on average.
- Recipients:
- 83% of workers said they sent money to parents or siblings.
- 16.1% sent to spouses or children.
- 9% sent to other relatives.
- 83% of workers said they sent money to parents or siblings.
- Challenges: Around 10.9% of foreign workers reported facing problems such as poor working conditions or high “introduction fees” charged by agencies in their home countries.
The technical intern training program was originally designed to help workers from developing countries acquire skills that could benefit their communities upon returning home. The specified skilled worker program, on the other hand, was launched to address Japan’s labor shortages in sectors like construction, caregiving, and agriculture.
Hideki Ando, head of the ministry’s Foreign Workers’ Affairs Division, emphasized the importance of addressing these findings: “We will consider countermeasures as we listen to opinions from experts, workers, and employers so that Japan will become a nation chosen by foreign workers.”
These results highlight both the critical role foreign workers play in Japan’s economy and the importance of improving their working conditions to ensure a more supportive and sustainable environment.
