By Leilanie G. Adriano
Staff Reporter
LAOAG CITY—Ilocanos who wanted to expand their horizon and learn basic Japanese language attended a free orientation seminar on October 11, 2019 at the Ilocos Norte Capitol auditorium.
Anne Marie Lizette B. Atuan, head of the Provincial Public Employment Service Office of the Ilocos Norte government said the orientation was open to all interested individuals aged 18 to 39 years old who are fit to work, either high school, college level or college graduate.
According to Ms. Atuan, “this is a wonderful opportunity to Ilocanos who are planning to work in Japan or those who are engage in business tourism in the Philippines who are dealing with Japanese guests and tourists”.
In partnership with the KRT International Training Center, Ms. Atuan said the Ilocos Norte government hopes to developed well-rounded Ilocanos to boost employment here and abroad.
After the orientation, a Japanese training course was also offered to the applicants including the step-by-step process of application to work in Japan.
According to the Japanese government, the country is facing severe labor shortage amid a declining population and ageing society. Most in demand jobs for Japan are nursing care, agriculture, construction, hotel and shipbuilding sectors including manufacturing and fisheries industries.
In 2017, there were 150 job openings for every 100 workers, the most in over four decades. The hiring of foreign workers is likely to increase in the next few years as the government is considering reorganizing the Immigration Bureau and setting up an affiliated agency that will solely be in charge of handling unskilled foreign workers.
“Learning the Japanese Nihongo language is an advantage and a major requirement when applying for work in Japan,” said Ms. Atuan.
On the part of the provincial government, she said the province continues to partner with POEA-accredited companies to prevent illegal recruitment activities being reported in the province.
Earlier this year, the same training center has offered a short-term course on Korean language to some 75 participants in the province.