Tokyo: More than 30 per cent of nursing
homes for the elderly who need care in Tokyo are hiring
foreigners as caregivers, a recent survey by a social
welfare body showed.
The survey conducted by the Tokyo Council of Social
Welfare on 389 facilities, of which 316 responded, found that
196 foreigners are working at 101 facilities.
While Japan has begun to accept from other countries
candidates for licensed care workers and other occupations in
the field of social work, more than half the facilities
surveyed raised language barriers between foreign workers and
Japanese employees as a challenge.
"We need systematic language education programs to
improve their professional vocabulary and daily
conversations," an official of the council said.
By nationality, people from the Philippines comprised
more than 50 per cent of the caregivers concerned, followed by
Chinese, including people from Taiwan, and South Koreans.
Over 90 per cent of such workers were women, the survey
showed.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, January 21, 2010, 13:32