Seiryu, based in Obu City, Aichi Prefecture, which operates in the urea water business and personnel dispatching, recently launched a new foreigner-exclusive truck driver recruitment site called “DRIVER FORCE” and began operations in February. The site supports Portuguese and is mainly aimed at promoting the employment of Brazilians. Registered companies can also use it as a job posting site. The system automatically converts company information entered in Japanese into Portuguese. The usage fee is slightly cheaper than Japanese-oriented job sites.
Involved in the construction of the site are Director Takayuki Hyuga and employee Hiroshi Yamashita, who is from Brazil. Previously, when recruiting personnel through Yamashita’s network, they received 7,000 views and 60 inquiries within a week. Understanding the current situation where foreign drivers are not fully aware of the transportation company’s work, Hyuga said, “I wanted them to know a wide range of logistics jobs,” explaining the background behind the launch.
Hyuga expresses a proactive stance towards foreign recruitment, stating, “If it contributes to alleviating the labor shortage in Japanese logistics companies.” The challenge then becomes the Japanese language proficiency of foreigners. However, he suggests that the gap could be bridged by the accepting side being flexible, such as increasing alphabetic notation within the company. He proposes that for companies considering foreign recruitment, they should first focus on developing their own ability to accommodate foreigners, urging a change in mindset.
Furthermore, the company has also recognized the importance of support systems for foreign driver recruits. Alongside the site release, they have developed a Portuguese-language support tool called “Driver Trust” for initial education. They are providing services to deepen understanding through videos.
“When considering the next five or ten years, relying solely on Japanese staff won’t suffice. We want people to use our service for those times, and when the opportunity arises, utilize our support tools,” Hyuga says. He also mentions plans to consider and gradually expand support for other languages in order to further promote foreign employment.
Source: 物流Weekly 2024/3/8
