Tokyu Resorts & Stays set to expand foreign workforce

Tokyu Resorts & Stays plans to hire more foreign-born staff, expanding its current complement from 120 to around 580 individuals within the current decade.

This decision stems from the company’s realisation that it cannot expect to meet the hiring needs of its expanding network of hotels and resorts with just freshly-graduated Japanese employees.

Tokyu aims to base this initiative on Japan’s specified skilled worker programme. Previously, the company brought in talent from the Philippines and Myanmar under the programme.

However, it now seeks to look at other countries such as Indonesia and Nepal for new workers The company says it will mainly employ these workers as cooks and servers at its restaurants.

The key to retention

To help retain foreign employees, Tokyu Resorts currently has several initiatives to ensure their comfort and security.

At present, the company is renovating a dormitory for on-the-job training at a resort in Nagano prefecture, and has installed wireless internet there to let trainees spend their spare time more comfortably.

This and other initiatives are in keeping with current demands in the industry to consider the welfare of foreign workers employed in the hospitality sector.

Meeting the demands of a labour shortage

At present, the Japanese hospitality sector grapples with a serious labor shortage. 

While government data shows employment in the accommodation and restaurant industry recovering, showing an increase of 30,000 workers on the year to 4 million in June, this is still shy of the 4.21 million working in the industry back in 2019, just before the pandemic hit. 

Back in February, the Japan Travel and Tourism Association recommended that the government revise the stated job duties for hotel workers under the current skilled worker programme. 

These focus on customer-facing positions while listing housekeeping as an incidental duty. The Association pointed out that this definition limits flexibility.