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▼ Auto Industry In Fierce Battle To Secure IT Professionals
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TOKYO (Jiji Press) — The nation’s automotive industry is in fierce competition over acquiring information technology professionals.
With the auto industry in the middle of a major change that comes only once in 100 years, companies are facing an urgent need to secure industry-ready employees capable of handling the fast-moving technological innovations, such as artificial intelligence.
Automakers that established research and development bases in rural areas of Japan in the past have newly created such bases in the Tokyo metropolitan area, where there is a high concentration of IT engineers.
According to the 2018 white paper on IT human resources by the Information-Technology Promotion Agency, an independent administrative agency, over 90 percent of responding companies either strongly or somewhat felt a lack of IT specialists.
Yoko Yoshida, head of the IT sales division of a major IT employment information website operated by Mynavi Corp., said that the companies looking for IT specialists have diversified during the past few years.
“There are not very many cases in which people go as far as moving to rural regions to change jobs,” she added, stressing that office location is a big factor for people choosing jobs.
Responding to this preference, Toyota Motor Corp. established a new company in Tokyo’s Nihonbashi district in March 2018 to develop self-driving technology, aiming to acquire IT personnel from both in and outside of Japan.
In June last year, Yamaha Motor Co., which is looking to boost its robot operations, opened a base for advanced technology development in Yokohama.
Automotive parts maker Denso Corp. consolidated several R&D bases from Aichi Prefecture and other locations to Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo, in April 2018.
Hajime Kumabe, an executive director at Denso, said that the company had faced tough competition to secure IT engineers. Since the move to Tokyo, the number of applications it receives from work-ready people has increased.
Japan’s industry ministry estimates that the sense of shortages of human resources in the IT area will grow among companies.
In November last year, Nissan Motor Co. partnered with the Yokohama City University in the hope of developing IT professionals.
In the future, automakers may face also issues training their engineers, as well as a fight to secure such employees.
With the auto industry in the middle of a major change that comes only once in 100 years, companies are facing an urgent need to secure industry-ready employees capable of handling the fast-moving technological innovations, such as artificial intelligence.
Automakers that established research and development bases in rural areas of Japan in the past have newly created such bases in the Tokyo metropolitan area, where there is a high concentration of IT engineers.
According to the 2018 white paper on IT human resources by the Information-Technology Promotion Agency, an independent administrative agency, over 90 percent of responding companies either strongly or somewhat felt a lack of IT specialists.
Yoko Yoshida, head of the IT sales division of a major IT employment information website operated by Mynavi Corp., said that the companies looking for IT specialists have diversified during the past few years.
“There are not very many cases in which people go as far as moving to rural regions to change jobs,” she added, stressing that office location is a big factor for people choosing jobs.
Responding to this preference, Toyota Motor Corp. established a new company in Tokyo’s Nihonbashi district in March 2018 to develop self-driving technology, aiming to acquire IT personnel from both in and outside of Japan.
In June last year, Yamaha Motor Co., which is looking to boost its robot operations, opened a base for advanced technology development in Yokohama.
Automotive parts maker Denso Corp. consolidated several R&D bases from Aichi Prefecture and other locations to Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo, in April 2018.
Hajime Kumabe, an executive director at Denso, said that the company had faced tough competition to secure IT engineers. Since the move to Tokyo, the number of applications it receives from work-ready people has increased.
Japan’s industry ministry estimates that the sense of shortages of human resources in the IT area will grow among companies.
In November last year, Nissan Motor Co. partnered with the Yokohama City University in the hope of developing IT professionals.
In the future, automakers may face also issues training their engineers, as well as a fight to secure such employees.
- April 1, 2019
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