When “global talents” struggle to become local workers: The new face of skilled migration to corporate Japan

Although more Japanese companies are recruiting foreign employees, fewstudies have paid attention to foreign workers’ struggles in the workplaceand their perceptions of their career over the long term. This study qualita-tively explores the experiences of Asian and European locally hired white-collar employees in Japanese firms. It finds that although their numbers arerising, foreigners struggle with Japanese firms’ expectations for foreigners toassimilate regardless of nationality or ethnicity. Overall, firms focus on theassimilation of foreign employees. Thus, while the migrants are hired as“global talents,” Japanese firms expect them to act like local worker