There is a wave of job shortages, and many industries are offering high salaries but still can't find workers. According to data from Taiwan's Ministry of Labor, as of August 2024, the number of domestic migrant workers has approached 800,000, an increase of more than 53,000 from the same period last year, indicating an increasing reliance on foreign labor. There is really a shortage of jobs in the country, and it has become a trend to beckon foreign talents.
Japan, which has entered an aging society and has a low birthrate before Taiwan, is also the hardest hit by this wave of labor shortages. Taking the taxi industry as an example, as of August 2023, the number of taxi drivers nationwide was approximately 230,000, a 20% decrease from March 2019, directly impacting the passenger transportation market.
With cars but no drivers, the supply and demand imbalance in the taxi industry is serious
A statistics from the Imperial Database of the market research company pointed out that compared with 2013, about 70% of the 2,428 Japanese taxi and charter companies surveyed revealed that the number of employees had decreased, and nearly 1.50% of them even lost more than half of their manpower, especially in Ibaraki, Kagawa and Nara prefectures are the most serious.
The reason is that business was miserable during the epidemic, and many people decided to change careers; in addition, according to the "Nikkei Shimbun" report, the average age of Japanese drivers is 61 years old. At the same time, young people's interest in the industry has waned, and working conditions in the industry are generally considered to be harsh and unattractive. As a result, the entire industry has fallen into the dual dilemma of aging manpower and lack of new blood.
Correspondingly, there was a sharp decline in performance. In 2020, when the epidemic first began, more than 80% of taxi companies were in the red. Although this dropped to 46.7% in 2022, the pace of recovery is still slow.
In recent years, tourism and business have become popular again, transportation demand has rebounded, and the industry has also worked hard to improve wages and try to attract talents by raising the starting price of jump-start prices. However, the drivers who ran away did not want to come back at all, and no new ones joined, causing the supply to fail to keep up with the demand. Whether it is scenic spots or commercial hotspots, people frequently complained that they could not get a ride.
With high salary and benefits, foreign young people are flocking here!
The market demand is strong, but there is just a shortage of manpower. Since locals are unwilling to invest, the industry has turned to foreigners. "Toei Taxi" in Fukuoka City, Kyushu, employs a large number of fresh graduates from overseas students. According to statistics, 12 of the 46 drivers are foreigners, accounting for more than 25%.
However, if foreigners want to become local taxi drivers, they must overcome two major obstacles, including language skills and license costs. The Japanese government and taxi companies have launched corresponding measures to help foreigners get into the driving seat.
1. Reduce barriers to passing exams
To become a taxi driver in Japan, you need to pass the business driver's license test just like in Taiwan. However, for non-native speakers who are not proficient in Japanese, the difficulty of the written test is really a big challenge.
After the Japanese government saw this problem, in April 2024, it opened examinations in more than 20 languages including Chinese and English to eliminate language restrictions.
2. Exam financial aid
The total cost of taking the driver's license exam is about 300,000 yen. Taking Toei as an example, before obtaining the driver's license, the company will provide a daily subsidy of 8,000 yen to allow applicants to take the driver's license exam. During this period, you can obtain income guarantee and moderately reduce financial pressure.
So, how are drivers treated? In a market with many porridge and few monks, a foreign driver said that he once worked 26 days a month and earned as much as 630,000 yen that month. According to statistics released by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan in January 2024, the average monthly salary of ordinary workers in Japan in 2023 is 318,300 yen. Taxi, which has been open for a month, ranks ninth in the country in monthly income, which is amazing.
In addition, Fukuoka's prices are the fifth lowest in the country, and its road planning is simpler than the maze-like Tokyo. For foreigners, this job is not only stable and friendly, but also very profitable.
This kind of treatment has attracted young people from Peru, Kenya, and even Japan who originally played professional basketball to join. Toei believes that in the next three years, the company's foreign drivers are expected to increase to more than half, effectively solving the manpower shortage dilemma.
Source: Teikoku Databank, Taiwan Ministry of Labor
