With regard to a new system to accept more non-Japanese workers, it has been learned that many foreign technical intern trainees cannot change employers. In order for technical intern trainees who acquired the new residence status of Specified Skilled Worker to change jobs, they need to obtain an "evaluation record" of their training. However, some accepting organizations -- as entities for which foreign technical interns work are called -- refuse to create the record because it is time-consuming, while other accepting organizations go out of business. Such circumstances make it impossible for trainees to move on to a job with a new employer.
This is one of the reasons why only a small number of foreign workers have been accepted so far, and the Immigration Services Agency is considering taking measures to address the situation.
As for the Specified Skilled Worker residence status created under the new system, technical intern trainees with training experience of at least two years and 10 months can switch their residence status to the new one without taking tests as long as they continue to work in the same field. After switching to the new residence status, they can continue to work at their accepting organizations, or they also can choose other employers.
When trainees who acquired the Specified Skilled Worker residence status want to change employers, they need to prove that they have completed their training, either by passing a skills test or by asking their accepting organizations and others to create an evaluation record. The record includes such issues as confirming skills they learned in training as well as their work records and life attitude. The tests became mandatory in November 2017, but many former trainees who completed training before then did not take the tests.
A 25-year-old Vietnamese man who had worked as a technical intern trainee for three years since 2015 at a machine processing company in the Chubu region wanted to work in Japan again under the Specified Skilled Worker status. So, he asked the company to create an evaluation record, but the company refused his request. Although he had been offered employment by another machine processing company in Saitama Prefecture, the offer was canceled. "I worked hard for the company, but it did not create the record for me," the Vietnamese man lamented.
A metal-processing company in the Kansai region refused a request by a former technical intern trainee to create an evaluation record to enable him to work at another company in the Kanto region and decided to hire him itself instead. "Since our company trained him, we wanted to hire him ourselves," a person in charge at the company said.
An administrative scrivener in Tokyo who supports foreigners going through the procedures to work under the Specified Skilled Worker residence status has received complaints from former technical intern trainees whose requests for evaluation records were refused. The administrative scrivener said, "Accepting organizations do not gain benefits from creating evaluation records, and some said they would create them if they were paid."
When it comes to the Technical Intern Training Program, there are problems such as unpaid wages and poor working conditions. However, technical intern trainees cannot change employers in principle. Trainees who switch their residence status to the Specified Skilled Worker status can move to another job with better conditions, but the requirement for evaluation records poses a barrier that is at odds with the initial purpose of the system.
The government expects to accept a maximum of 47,550 foreigners with the Specified Skilled Worker residence status, but only 271 foreigners had acquired the residence status as of Sept. 13. The Immigration Services Agency also understands the situation, and plans to remove barriers to employment of foreigners by allowing technical trainees to provide other forms of documentation.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
