The Merits to Hiring Foreign Workers ~Manufacturing~

In recent years, there has been a major change brewing in the usual working environment.

Due to Japan’s population shift, there are fewer young people entering the workforce, and fields such as manufacturing are clearly feeling the effects. Due to this, there is a keen focus on hiring foreign workers.

While this may have started out as hiring foreign workers in the place of Japanese workers, or as a temporary fix, many companies began to realize the merits to having foreign staff, and all the positives they bring with them.

1.    You can find younger workers

 For young Japanese people, the manufacturing industry is seen as dirty, hard, and dangerous work.

However, from the perspective of some foreign workers, especially those who do not have confidence in their Japanese abilities, work in this industry can be appealing, as more time is spent working with machines than with people.

In addition, hiring younger people makes it easier to find workers with the good vision and dexterity to handle any finely detailed work.

2. Many people are highly motivated to work

Many foreign people are highly motivated to find work.

To begin with, many of them have come here because they could not find suitable work in their native countries. For this reason, they will dutifully perform any work assigned to them, and will be pleased when their efforts earn them the equivalent pay.

Many people will devote themselves to their work, feeling that it will be difficult to find alternative work if they quit. They take their jobs seriously.

This motivation and passion for their work will also have a positive effect on their Japanese coworkers.

In addition, many people show an interest in Japan’s advanced technology and learning new skills.

3. Foreign workers will naturally have a different way of seeing things

People from other countries will naturally have a different way of seeing the world.

Therefore, they may find different ways of performing their duties, and even see ways to improve on your product that someone who grew up in Japan might not think of.

You can make use of this diversity to improve your business.

4. Planning for Global Expansion becomes a possibility

This doesn’t just apply to when you have concrete plans for expansion, but also if you’re still only considering the idea for the future. Foreign workers on your team can help you work out the details.

Employees who were born and raised overseas will have a better idea of the local culture and practices that an outsider may not be aware of. With this knowledge at your disposal, they can provide hints and knowledge that will minimize the chances of your expansion losing focus.

These are just some of the merits to hiring foreign workers.

There are, of course, demerits as well.

There are more complicated procedures to go through when hiring foreign workers, and there may also be some difficulties in interpersonal communication or conflicts that arise from getting used to life in a new environment.

However, the merits outweigh the demerits in the long run.

In addition, any difficulties with communication or adjusting to new surroundings can be mitigated to a certain extent by good coworker support. It takes patience, and understanding that communication may sometimes be difficult with someone who, perhaps all on their own, came all the way from distant country to work together with you.

Understanding this may help your new foreign-born coworker to feel at home, which will make them more open to adapting to their new surroundings and providing increased motivation towards their work.