Some 60,000 caregivers are needed in Japan, according to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration.
POEA Administrator Bernard Olalia said private recruitment agencies will be processing the employment of qualified foreign workers under the new specialized skilled worker visa of Japan starting April 1.
He added the new visa will have two classifications: one for semi-skilled workers such as caregivers, with a five-year contract, and one for highly-skilled workers that will have the chance to acquire an immigrant status after contract, also for five years.
Olalia said the workers are wanted in health institutions in the host country.
“Mostly in elderly care institutions since they have many senior citizens,” he said in a television interview.
Olalia also reminded the applicants to wait for their advice regarding the new visa since it is only set to be signed on March 19.
The POEA also warned the public not to fall for recruitment agencies that are claiming that they are accepting applicants for the new visa.
Meanwhile, Olalia said Japan is also in need of 300 foreign workers for different sectors.
Among the job vacancies are in the food service industry, construction, agriculture, manufacture of food and beverage, accommodation industry, building cleaning management, machine parts and tooling, industrial machinery, fisheries and aquaculture, electric, electronics and information, aviation industry, automobile repair and maintenance, shipbuilding and ship machinery.
Olalia noted that while construction is included on the list, the deployment of workers in the said sector will be limited since the infrastructure program in the country will also need laborers.
“We will be coming out with a regulation limiting the deployment of construction workers,” he added.