Agri, caregiving among top jobs for OFWs in Japan

MANILA – Caregiving and agriculture are among the top sectors that will open jobs for migrant workers, including Filipinos, in Japan.

In a virtual forum late Friday afternoon, Labor Attaché Elizabeth Marie Estrada of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Osaka said Filipino workers are in demand in both skilled and non-skilled sectors.

The categories are care workers, cultivation/agriculture, overseas performing artists (OPAs), welders, food processing, scaffolding/reinforced bar construction, and English teachers.

“If ever Japan reopens, it seems that they prioritize those in the caregiving and agriculture sectors because they also need to have something to eat. These are the two possible priority areas/industries that they will allow entering the country,” Estrada said.

Estrada also reported that the majority of Filipino workers in agricultural cultivation are working in greenhouses.

“Most of the workers are from Kalinga and Sagada maybe because of the climate…Agricultural cultivation includes pig raising, poultry, they also grow food for their animals,” she added.

According to POLO data as of July 16, 2021, there are 277,409 Filipinos in Japan.