Eight Filipino housekeepers have arrived in Japan on April 17 as the first batch of foreign workers employed in Japanese households aims to alleviate a labor shortage afflicting the sector.
The Filipino women, aged between 25 and 38, were recruited by housekeeping services provided Duskin, and have completed two weeks of training. They have since began their three-year contract at the company’s Merry Maids affiliate. Japanese staff will accompany them to customers’ homes.
“I want to learn various skills at Duskin every day,” one newcomer said in fluent Japanese as she introduced herself.
Half of the staff will be placed in Yokohama, with the rest assigned to work in Osaka.
Duskin plans to hire eight more foreign housekeepers for assignments in Tokyo within the fiscal year. Over the next five years, the company aims to employ about 100 of them within the next five years.
Japan’s housekeeping industry has been suffering from prolonged shortage of workers, and in 2015 the government lifted restrictions on hiring foreign housekeepers in special economic zones such as Tokyo and Osaka. Employing foreign workers for domestic services is a core part of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s plan to create a buoyant economy backed by full labor participation.
The Cabinet Office has since approved the appointment of companies such as Duskin and Bears to operate housekeeping services and bringing in foreign workers.