Accommodation Sector Dismissals Top 10,000 in Japan amid Epidemic

Tokyo, Jan. 19 (Jiji Press)--The cumulative number of workers in the Japanese accommodation industry who have been fired or seen their employment contracts not renewed due to the impact of the novel coronavirus epidemic has topped 10,000, the labor ministry said Tuesday. The accommodation sector followed the manufacturing, restaurant and retail industries to see the cumulative number surpass the 10,000 threshold. It has been hit hard by a plunge in tourist traffic amid the epidemic, which prompted the government to suspend its Go To Travel tourism promotion program. A weekly tally by the ministry showed that 10,124 accommodation industry workers had been dismissed or seen their employment contracts terminated as of Friday. The figure represented an increase of 387 from a week before, including 347 nonregular workers. The cumulative number topped 5,000 in June last year and 9,000 in mid-November. The total number of people who were fired or whose contracts were not renewed in all sectors in Japan rose by 1,214 to 82,050. The tally is based on data from local labor bureaus and HelloWork public job placement offices across the country. The actual number of dismissals and contract terminations is believed to be larger. END