Gunma launches certification for foreign-worker employers; 1,473 firms now notified as recruitment-data providers
Gunma Prefecture has created a certification for employers of foreign staff. MHLW counts 1,473 specified recruitment-information providers, up 6.7%, and a Saitama survey finds about 40% of firms see care leave as time to build a care set-up.
Gunma Prefecture has launched a certification system for businesses that guard against illegal employment and build workplaces that are safe for Japanese and foreign staff alike. A standard tier is open even to firms only considering hiring foreign workers, who pledge to prevent illegal employment.
Why it matters: If you hire in Gunma, check the criteria before your next foreign-worker intake. Other prefectures may copy the idea, so a clean compliance record is worth documenting now.
Saitama Prefecture surveyed 1,551 companies on how they view family care leave. About 40% chose the view that it is a period for arranging care while continuing to work, which is the purpose the leave law's guidelines give. The report says that idea has not spread widely.
Why it matters: Check how your managers and employees understand care leave. Briefing staff that it is for arranging care, not for full-time caring, may help them plan and stay in work.
As of 1 October, 1,473 operators had notified MHLW that they collect jobseeker information for job sites and recruitment magazines, 92 more than a year before. Tokyo has 793, Osaka 115 and Aichi 71. Of the total, 754 also run job placement and 284 also run worker dispatch.
Why it matters: If you use job sites or agencies, confirm the provider is notified and how it handles jobseeker data. The overlap with placement and dispatch shows how blurred these services are.
The Trust Companies Association of Japan has asked the Cabinet Office's regulatory reform office to require a designated default investment option in defined contribution pensions. Today the operating institution may set one for participants who give no instructions. The aim is to stop idle balances losing value.
Why it matters: This is only a request, not a rule change. If you run a DC plan, check whether it has a default option and how many members have never made an investment choice.
The transport ministry says Sasebo (from 2 November), Toba (4 November) and Nagasaki Prefecture (8 November) have started free seafarer placement. The Seafarers' Employment Security Act generally barred placement, and an amendment last year let local governments offer it free. Each scheme covers employers or jobseekers tied to its area.
Why it matters: Shipping and fishing employers in these areas gain a free route to crew. Others should watch whether more local governments follow.
Compiled each weekday morning with AI assistance from the reports linked under each story; summaries are ours, the reporting is theirs. Check the source before acting on anything here. Corrections: editor@hardestmarket.com.
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