Apr 25 (Japan Times) - As the spread of COVID-19 infections hits the nation’s economy hard, foreign workers at manufacturers are being severely affected, with some losing their jobs and homes.
At a public employment security office in Suzuka, Mie Prefecture, this month, foreign nationals visited the interpretation service counter to complete the procedures required to receive unemployment benefits.
A 31-year-old Japanese Brazilian said he had been working for an auto parts maker until the end of March, when his contract was allowed to expire.
“Since I’m a contract worker, I was told to leave immediately after the firm started reducing production,†he said.
According to the Mie Labor Bureau, the number of foreign workers in the prefecture totaled 30,316 as of the end of October. That included 10,446 temporary and contract workers, making up 34.5 percent of the total. The prefecture’s proportion of such workers is the fourth highest in the nation after Shiga, Shizuoka and Tochigi prefectures.
