August 14, 1991
BY KATHRYN SMITH
Journal staff reporter
Anyone wishing to travel and earn money at the same time, apply here. Sounds too good to be true but a local company is telling construction workers how they can do just that.
Japan American Construction Services, Inc., a Japan affiliated material and labor supply company, is holding a number of workshops throughout the Northwest and California to inform skilled construction workers on the ``how-tos'' of picking up their tools and reporting to a job site in Japan. The next workshop is scheduled for Saturday at the Holiday Inn in Renton, 9 a.m. to noon or 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Job opportunities, business etiquette, cultural differences, and pay scales are some of the topics discussed during the three-hour workshops.
``There is a tremendous need for qualified craftsmen in Japan,'' said Hal Fergusson, president of JACS.
Japan's newly acquired taste for western-style houses coupled with a lack of construction workers in their country leaves an attractive job market for American workers skilled in framing, roofing, dry walling and other areas of building houses.
In 1990, Japan had 1.8 million housing starts compared with the U.S. which had 847,000 new homes built, despite having twice the population.
According to figures from the Japanese External Trade Organization, nearly 40 percent of Japan's new homes are being built western style and the number is expected to increase to 70 percent within five years. Traditionally, Japanese designers have favored ``post and beam'' style which has a limited life span.
The western-style houses in Japan are similar to what one might find in an American middle class residential development with a few differences. The homes in Japan stand four feet from their neighbor, lack central heating and cost an average of $700,000, said Bill Dudley, vice president of marketing for JACS.
During the workshops, construction workers not only learn that jobs are available in Japan but how to work at a foreign job site once they are hired.
Instructor Arthur Musick, who has a masters in Asian studies, tells construction workers that acceptable building practices in the U.S. may not be considered so under Japanese supervision.
``They demand a very high quality,'' Musick said.
The Japanese build houses from the outside to the inside so mistakes will not show. And even areas that are not visible are done to perfection. For example, patchwork on walls must be neatly applied even those areas will be painted over later.
Construction workers also are taught how they can communicate and work with the Japanese without offending them.
Understanding that the Japanese have an easier time reading English than listening to it and realizing their language does not have a specific word for ``no'' will prove to be helpful to workers, Musick said.
He also emphasized the importance of workers to be conservative in their actions, both on the job and off.
``The employee is a direct reflection on the employer - even in their free time,'' Musick said.
About 40 people came to the first workshop held a few weeks ago in Lynnwood. Tom Lewis, one of the construction workers who attended, said he views the possibility of employment in Japan as an opportunity to travel and make money.
The workers hired by JACS are given a paid round-trip ticket to Japan, housed and fed by their employer during their stay, and paid a comparable salary to what they would make in the U.S.
What many workers learned during the workshop was that a tax break is given to those who stay a certain length of time overseas. If an individual is out of the country for 300 consecutive days, up to $70,000 of his income is tax-free.
An I.R.S. tax booklet providing more information is included in a ``how-to'' manual which was available to workers wanting to learn more about working in Pacific Rim countries.
``It's the chance of a lifetime if you stop and think about it,'' said Henry Bell, another workshop participant.
Anyone interested in working overseas is listed JACS' employment file and they can be assured of an extensive background check. Fergusson not only checks on whether the individual is a skilled craftsman but also if there is any evidence of criminal activity.
``We're very particular about the people we send,'' he said.
A series of 40 workshops over the next three months will be held throughout Washington, Oregon, and California. Musick along with Michael Lyman, owner of a tile business in Poulsbo, will instruct the courses.
