Housing companies located in Japan are looking towards the Philippines and other countries as sources of workers that can be hired for their services in connection with the surging local demand, according to a Nikkei Asia news report.
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the Nikkei Asia news report. Some parts in boldface…
Companies in Japan that offer housekeeping services such as cleaning, laundry and ironing are increasingly turning to the Philippines and other places overseas as they rush to meet surging demand from time-strapped customers.
With working from home fading in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the number of dual-income households rising, more people in the country are willing to pay for help handling chores.
Pushing to keep pace with this growing appetite for their services, housekeeping firms are accelerating their recruitment abroad — especially as relaxed immigration rules for the sector boost the appeal of hiring beyond Japan’s borders.
Indeed, Tokyo-based housekeeping service provider Bears plans to hire an extra 150 foreign workers in 2024 to bolster the 300 it already employs, with each person offered 400 hours of training.
The overseas recruitment drive comes as crushing labor shortages threaten a range of industries in Asia’s No. 3 economy and one of the world’s fastest-aging societies.
“Let’s make sure we clean windows and mirrors evenly by wiping in one direction,” an instructor said to 33-year-old Mundacruz Lizyldeci, who came to Japan from the Philippines this year, during a training session in a living room-like space at Bear’s head office. Listening to the instructions in early May with a serious look on her face, Lizyldeci said, “I will provide the high-quality services demanded by Japanese consumers.“
Bears says it plans to hire work-ready foreign housekeepers such as those licensed by the Philippine government.
Filipino workers hired through Bears’ subsidiary in the Philippines are given Japanese language and other lessons for two months before coming to Japan. They go through a two-week training program in Japan, which includes checks on their housekeeping skills. They are paid and assessed on the same basis as Japanese workers, with help available in Tagalog.
Housekeeping services by foreign nationals without permanent residence status began in areas designated as special economic zones in 2017. The government in 2020 extended the time such people are permitted to stay in the country to five years from three, while offering an additional three-year extension in 2023 for those who meet certain conditions.
In Japan, dual-income households began to outnumber those with stay-at-home housewives in 1992. The amount of two-paycheck families had increased to nearly 13 million by 2023, a roughly 40% rise over three decades, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
Japan’s market for housekeeping services had grown to a value of 80.7 billion yen ($516 million) by fiscal 2021, more than doubling from five years earlier, according to the latest survey by Teikoku Databank. But in the research company’s 2023 consumer survey, only 1.8% of some 2,200 respondents in their 20s to 40s said they used housekeeping services. “I know of such services but have never used them” was the reply chosen by nearly 76%.
Nevertheless, potential demand for housekeeping services appears strong as roughly half of households in the survey considered home chores a burden. To convert potential demand into actual demand, fair prices for the services, as well as their quality and safety, need to be ensured.
Another driver for the rising demand is a shift from from the days of the COVID pandemic, when many people worked online from home. More employers are now telling their staff to come into the office.
A 35-year-old woman who has a job at a major financial institution in Tokyo often worked from home during the pandemic. But after restarting commuting to the office, she began using major housekeeping service provider CaSy’s so-called matching service from last November.
“I use ironing and laundry services once every two weeks,” she said. “I didn’t have much time to spare due to lots of overtime work. I can now go out on weekends.“
CaSy has some 170,000 registered customers and 15,000 housekeepers. The matching service introduces housekeepers to customers depending on the chores they need handling. But given frequent mismatches between customers and housekeepers over dates and places of work, CaSy created a program in February to complement orders, when necessary, with other housekeeping service providers. It has so far tied up with 15 companies for the program and hopes to increase the number to 100 in three years.
Before the registration of housekeepers, CaSy screens applicants’ records, including for any criminal convictions, through identity verification company Trustdock. While providing a sense of reassurance to customers, CaSy has set clear criteria for housekeepers about when and how to exit from customers’ homes to protect housekeepers from possible harassment by clients. “We must settle security-related problems while nurturing professional housekeepers,” said Yuki Shirasaka, a CaSy director.
The financial burden on customers is a major barrier to an increase in the use of housekeeping services. In France and Germany where over 10% of people use such services, financial support such as tax breaks are available to customers. Japan’s government will begin an experiment, possibly later in May, to provide subsidies to cover some costs when small and mid-size companies offer home services as a benefit for their employees.
Minimaid Service, which started housekeeping services for wealthy households back in 1983, is expanding its customer base by holding fees in check. A swift, inexpensive service introduced by Minimaid has helped stoke a threefold increase in the number of times its services have been used over the past five years. The company plans to increase its employee numbers by around 50% in two to three years.
Housekeeping services are roughly divided into three business models: the employment of housekeepers as staff, which prioritizes the quality of services through education; matching between customers and housekeepers commissioned by service providers; and websites for matching between customers and housekeepers on a person-to-person basis. Fees vary greatly.
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Do you know anyone in your local community who is willing to work in Japan as housekeeping worker? Do you think the hiring of many Filipino workers by Japanese housekeeping companies will be economically beneficial for their families and the national economy in the long run?
You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.
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