外国人労働者、宿泊・飲食で減　コロナ影響で―２０年厚労省調査

　厚生労働省は２９日、２０２０年の外国人雇用状況（１０月末時点）を発表した。新型コロナウイルスの感染拡大で時短営業や休業を強いられた宿泊・飲食サービス業が初めて減少。雇用情勢が厳しくなる中で全体は前年比４．０％増にとどまり、人手不足が深刻化していた１９年（１３．６％増）の伸びを大きく下回った。
　２０年は訪日外国人旅行者（インバウンド）需要がほぼ消滅。同省は「宿泊・飲食の雇用に影響が出た」と分析している。外国人労働者数は１７２万４３２８人で、８年連続で過去最高となったが、伸び率は過去８年で最も低かった。
　産業別では、医療・福祉や建設が２桁増となる一方、宿泊・飲食サービスは１．８％減だった。全体の３割を占める製造業も０．３％減で８年ぶりに前年を下回った。在留資格別では、コロナで入国が困難になった影響で、１９年に２割以上増えた技能実習が４．８％増にとどまった。（2021/01/29-20:19）

The number of foreign workers at hotels and restaurants in Japan as of the end of October 2020 was down 1.8 pct from a year before, logging the first drop on record due to the fallout from the new coronavirus epidemic, the labor ministry said Friday.
   The sectors are facing hardships, such as authorities' requests for shortened business hours or temporary closures amid the virus crisis. Employment of foreigners at hotels and restaurants was also affected by a plunge in the number of travelers from abroad blamed on pandemic-related entry restrictions, a ministry official said.
   The total number of foreign workers rose 4.0 pct to 1,724,328, hitting a record high for the eighth straight year. But the pace of increase was the lowest in the past eight years. In 2019, foreign workforce surged 13.6 pct, reflecting severe labor shortages in the country.
   The medical and welfare, and construction sectors posted double-digit increases in foreign workers in 2020.
   But the number of foreign workers in the manufacturing industry, making up about 30 pct of all such workers in Japan, fell 0.3 pct, down for the first time in eight years.