tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2424131704277823220.post4296269649369658730..comments2023-09-23T11:16:00.352+02:00Comments on The Franco-American Flophouse has moved: A Better Mousetrap? Luring the Highly-Skilled Foreign Professional to France and JapanVictoria FERAUGEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16319699673885400472noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2424131704277823220.post-2853822544915671102017-04-27T00:41:04.662+02:002017-04-27T00:41:04.662+02:00Hi Victoria,
I simply thought my analogy a bit to...Hi Victoria,<br /><br />I simply thought my analogy a bit too mean-sounding. But I think your take on it is right. It is encouraging to see that the government recognizes that making permanent residence easier is an important first step to attracting highly-skilled immigrants.<br />Inaka Nezuminoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2424131704277823220.post-17728380057475044702017-04-26T23:49:25.937+02:002017-04-26T23:49:25.937+02:00Nezumi-san, I thought your comment about seagulls...Nezumi-san, I thought your comment about seagulls was spot on especially in the context of Japan. The Japanese immigration system has been oriented toward the TFW - temporary foreign worker. Hell, they even changed the JET program rules to discourage people from using it to come to Japan and stay. This has created a foreigner = short-timer mentality in the minds of the Japanese. To use your analogy the foreigner comes and "fertilizes" the terrain by doing something that the Japanese want foreigners to do and then they replace them with another batch of younger, cheaper, temporary foreigners. This revolving door means that the Japanese can keep the majority of permanent full-time jobs (and 62% of Japanese according to Sugimoto still have those permanent full-time jobs) while the foreigners primarily work in the secondary sector with more precarious employment, fewer benefits and so on. Except that this system is not attractive to the highly skilled migrant which Japan ostensibly wishes to attract. So they are making changes. That's my take on it anyway. <br /><br />Andrew, Thank you. Yes, acceptance is extremely important and I didn't emphasize that enough. Concerning immigration to Canada, I'm wondering if more agreements to mutually recognize credentials might help. Quebec has some good ones with France. My sense is that there are fewer between the US and Canada. Is that correct?Victoria FERAUGEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16319699673885400472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2424131704277823220.post-77688985359433808162017-04-26T17:59:32.665+02:002017-04-26T17:59:32.665+02:00Good piece. I would not under-estimate the importa...Good piece. I would not under-estimate the importance of acceptance and inclusion. Seems to be pick up in interest in Canada as destination post-Trump, but will need to see if interest leads to action.Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10191267025812828244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2424131704277823220.post-33017399306113808402017-04-26T15:44:58.995+02:002017-04-26T15:44:58.995+02:00Reviewing my comment, I would retract my sentence ...Reviewing my comment, I would retract my sentence about seagulls.<br /><br />Inaka Nezuminoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2424131704277823220.post-77150244666911437712017-04-26T10:21:20.393+02:002017-04-26T10:21:20.393+02:00Mike, The French job market is a tough nut to crac...Mike, The French job market is a tough nut to crack and that's true for young French as well as migrants. Unemployment is high. My French spouse looked into what it would take to start a business in France and he was swearing because it looked mission impossible. So if France wants to attract entrepreneurs, than they need a system that lets people do what they do best; create companies. Japan seems to do better in that respect. Lot of small businesses in Osaka.<br /><br />Nezumi-san, Good question. I think it's common but not universal. Hendersen lists his top ten that have only territorial taxation. Note that two of them are Singapore and Hong Kong.<br /><br />http://nomadcapitalist.com/2016/06/13/countries-territorial-tax-system/<br /><br /> Victoria FERAUGEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16319699673885400472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2424131704277823220.post-80534079053236850942017-04-26T10:05:30.718+02:002017-04-26T10:05:30.718+02:00In Oishi's paper, she seems to put particular ...In Oishi's paper, she seems to put particular emphasis on labor market flexibility. I think this is something that cuts two ways. Yes, lifetime employment means that one really has only up to a certain age to secure a permanent position, and it becomes harder to move around after that age. On the other hand, abolishing permanent positions makes taking the risk of moving to a new country less appealing to someone who has other options. Especially for people who might feel potentially vulnerable to discrimination there due to nationality, gender, or what-have-you. It may also make staying less appealing to natives, for that matter, leading to brain drain. I would focus on making it possible to hire people who lost their previous jobs mid-career (due to previous employer going under, say), without creating instability for those who have jobs, by removing permanence. Unless, that is, one is seeking primarily seagulls (people who fly in, leave, uh, phosphate deposits all over the place for others to clean up, and then fly away).<br /><br />So the main challenge I see is to help people integrate. Oishi discusses language issues, and I do think a lot more effort could be made to help foreign hires get up to speed at the high level of Japanese needed to write reports and interact professionally with suppliers and with the public – plus just to have well-rounded, satisfying lives.<br /><br />Regarding state pensions, I had not realized that Japan has so few totalization agreements. That is certainly something that could be improved. I would note that the minimum qualification period will be going down from 25 years to 10 years this Fall, which is a good thing, especially for those who would be coming from countries without totalization agreements. Though I think the impetus for the rule change had more to do with reducing the uncovered domestic population than with trying to encourage immigration.<br /><br />As for the worldwide taxation of long-term residents, I think that is pretty standard for most developed countries, is it not?<br />Inaka Nezuminoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2424131704277823220.post-63405506088012386052017-04-26T09:43:08.400+02:002017-04-26T09:43:08.400+02:00Great article and very thought provoking. Referenc...Great article and very thought provoking. Reference to Macron, why would any intelligent American with skills needed in France move to such an unimpressive, bigoted place? Macron reasoned in this article that if you are afraid of President Trump, relocate to your safe and loving motherland called France. They (skilled person) must be totally naive and you correctly listed many factors to consider but streamlining visas, language difficulties, taxes, etc., ain't gonna help France (or Japan or the US, etc.). <br /><br />I totally agree with your thought "France is a country where this lack of flexibility hits migrants very hard." You must change TWO cultural environments (your culture and new country's culture). Ain't gonna happen America, France, Japan...<br /><br />A second point is that I don't believe there is as much "globalization" in this world as imagined; not when it relates to luring skilled people. <br /><br />I define "globilization" as an environment where there is a familiarity among processes, cultures, work/life issues to name several things. For example, naive, skilled American, check into your local prefecture or other organizations in France or Japan to change your drivers license, open a bank account, register at tax office, etc., etc., and you will smash into the brick wall of local culture, obstinence, racism, and the ubiquitousness of "we don't care how you did it the USA, France, Japan...". <br /><br />Ciao Victoria. Many books to be written.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00330287470153331279noreply@blogger.com