Pasona Group will begin to allow foreign IT workers to work remotely for Japanese companies, as reported in Nikkei Asia. The announcement comes as Japanese firms experience a labor shortage especially among IT roles, as well as Covid restrictions.

With the shortage of IT workers shortage expected to approach 790,000 by 2030 according to Japan’s industry ministry, Japanese firms are increasingly open-minded about allowing IT workers to work from their countries without moving to Japan.

Before the pandemic, Pasona had hired hundreds of foreign workers to Japanese companies each year, but these workers either lived in Japan already or moved there from their home country.

Pasona will target IT workers in India, South Korea, and Vietnam, and plans on introducing 300 workers by 2024. Talent will be hired either through a local branch or through a business consignment contract with a Japanese company.

Human Resocia is another staffing company that started hiring workers from other countries (such as India and Myanmar) to work for Japanese companies. Human Resocia considers workers who are in locations with less than a three and a half hour time difference from Japan. The company plans to hire 200 remote workers by the end of 2023.