More than 345,000 blue-collar foreign workers may join the nation's workforce through the first five years of a new working visa system set to be introduced in April, if it wins approval by lawmakers, the government said Wednesday.
Of the 14 selected industries the nursing care sector is estimated to take in the most with between 50,000 to 60,000 hires, according to the figures.
The restaurant industry is predicted to come second, with 41,000 to 53,000, followed by 30,000 to 40,000 workers for the construction sector and building-cleaning firms taking in 28,000 to 37,000 workers.