TOKYO, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- The number of Japanese workforce will decrease by 20 percent from 2017 to 2040, as the country's population continues to decline, and women and the elderly face increasing difficulty in finding jobs amid sluggish economy, a government study showed Tuesday.
The study was conducted by a research group of the Japanese labor ministry, which called for setting up more policies for employment boost and promotion of artificial intelligence as measures to deal with labor shortage, local media reported.
The panel on employment policies estimated that the number of workers in Japan will decrease from 65.3 million in 2017 to 60.82 million in 2025 and 52.45 million in 2040.
According to the study, the number of male workers in 2040 will decline by 7.11 million from 2017, while that of female workers will decrease by 5.75 million.
By industry, the decliners will be led by the wholesale and retail sector as the workforce is expected to drop by 2.87 million from 2017 to 2040, followed by mining and construction with a 2.21-million decrease, and manufacturing, down by 2.06 million.
Increase was only expected in the medical and welfare sector, as its workforce in 2040 is estimated to increase by 1.03 million, reflecting the country's aging problem.
The research did not take into consideration the expected expansion of foreign labor under the new visa system from April this year, a move made by the government to help tackle serious labor shortages.
The government has announced that Japan is expected to accept up to 345,150 foreign workers under the new scheme over a five-year period starting April 2019, including 60,000 in nursing care.
