Japan to hire skilled workers from Bangladesh

Japan yesterday agreed to take specified skilled workers (SSW) from Bangladesh in 14 fields under two categories within the next five years.

To get selected as an SSW, Bangladeshi people have to pass Japanese language proficiency test and skills proficiency test at first, the Bangladesh embassy in Tokyo said in a statement.

Foreign nationals who have completed technical intern training are exempted from taking exams and a good number of SSW will be recruited from them, it said.

Bangladesh is the ninth nation that signed a memorandum of cooperation with Japan to send such workers, according to the statement.

Rownaq Jahan, expatriates’ welfare and overseas employment secretary, and Shoko Sasaki, commissioner of the immigration services agency, signed the MoC in this regard at Japan’s immigration service agency in Tokyo.

The specified skilled workers’ (category 1) contract can be renewed for five years if they pass a Japanese language test and have a certain skill level in their designated field. But in principle they are not allowed to bring their families to Japan.

Contracts for the specified skilled workers (category-II) can be renewed indefinitely once they are employed with higher skill levels than specified skilled workers (category-I) and are permitted to bring their spouses and children along.

The MoC will create opportunity to send specified skilled workers from Bangladesh to Japan under certain terms and conditions and both the countries will be mutually benefitted, Jahan said. The 14 fields/sectors are: care worker, building cleaning management, machine parts and tooling industries, industrial machinery industries, electric, electronics and information industries, construction industry, shipbuilding/ship machinery industry, automobile maintenance, aviation industry, accommodation industry, agriculture, fishery and aquaculture, manufacture of food and beverages, food service industry.

Jahan said the government is taking various initiatives to match the abundance of skilled workforce with Japan’s demand for manpower.

The expatriates’ welfare and overseas employment ministry has started offering a four-month Japanese language course through its 26 technical training centres all over the country since February 2018, she said.

Besides, many private organisations are taking initiatives to teach Japanese language.

Rabab Fatima, Bangladesh’s ambassador to Japan, was also present at the signing ceremony.