Japan, one of the countries heavily affected by COVID-19, has faced an even greater risk, as a government report warned that the crisis could continue into 2040 with a shortage of human resources of up to 1 million people, according to SCMP.
Japanese health workers complained of exhaustion during the peak of the pandemic, some have quit their jobs but no replacements due to public working conditions, including long hours, stressful work, low wages and high risk of viral infections.
However, the bigger problem Japan is worried about is the declining birth rate and the smaller young population participating in the workforce. According to government statistics, Japan's total population will be at 110.9 million people by 2040, down 12.7% from the 125.8 million recorded in 2020.
At the same time, the average age of a Japanese person will increase to 7.5 years to 54.2 years old by 2040 and the rate of the working-age population will decrease by nearly 7% to 5.39%. The data also shows that people aged 65 and over will account for 35.3% of the total population, an increase of 8.7% compared to the current figure.
Facing the crisis
The crisis facing the Japanese health sector has been pointed out in the annual report of the country's Ministry of Health, presented to the cabinet in September, with the attraction of enough workers to the health care sector identified as "one of the most important agenda items that social security services face".
In addition, demand for Japanese healthcare services is expected to increase sharply in 2025, the year the current middle-aged generation turns 75. Just 15 years later, when the next generation reaches the 75-year age mark, the country's health care service will need up to 10.7 million workers.
However, this number is not easy to achieve. Currently, with birth rates and other factors, the report shows that there will be only 9.74 million workers, 960,000 people short of the expected demand, Asahi reported on October 19.
Yoko Tsukamoto, a nursing professor at the University of Health Sciences Hokkaido and responsible for preparing a new generation of healthcare professionals, admitted that she was very worried.
We have seen more people leaving the healthcare sector, largely due to the pressure that people have been under in the past few years. This is a very stressful profession and it is certainly not for everyone, with the rate of first-year drop out of school of about 20% before the pandemic, she said, pointing out that 1/5 of those who drop out of school before the end of the first year have a much higher spending rate than other jobs.
Although there are no solid figures on the dropout rate since COVID-19 appeared in the first quarter of 2020, Ms. Tsukamoto is confident that it is significantly higher than before.
But that short-term problem will soon become more serious with the already high density of the elderly and the shortage of labor affecting almost all sectors.
What is the solution for Japan?
In addition to paying better salaries to health workers, Ms. Tsukamoto believes that more robots and automated machines can be brought to the hospital to take on simple tasks. Similarly, medical staff with higher qualifications from abroad should be allowed to work in Japan.
The limited number of nurses and caregivers from the Philippines and Indonesia working in Japan is an obstacle to the industry's human resource goals. Currently, due to the current weak value of the yen, many nurses from Southeast Asia are choosing to go to the US rather than work in Japan.
Kazuhiro Tateda, chairman of the Japan Infectious Diseases Association and a member of the advisory board established to advise the Japanese government since the start of the COVID-19 crisis, also shared similar opinions.
We need more workers in this field right now because there are many elderly people who need treatment and help. The shortage we are seeing is expected to get worse in the coming years, he said.
However, the pandemic has shown authorities what could happen if a more dangerous epidemic broke out in the future, Tateda said, adding that Japan needs to take steps to attract people to the profession and retain them.
People need good working conditions and higher salaries, it is really simple. But I also think they need to be proud. If they are proud of their work, if they feel appreciated and respected for a very difficult job, I think they will stay, Tateda concluded.
