- 14 Mar 2002
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High time for Kono Taro to roll up his sleeves: in the latest World Digital Competitiveness Ranking, published by Switzerland's Institute for Management Development (IMD), Japan placed 29th out of 63 economies, sliding one notch from last year to its lowest position since the ranking started in 2017. Japan continues to lag behind Asian economies Singapore (4th), South Korea (8th), Hong Kong (9th), Taiwan (11th) and China (17th).
Fueling this outcome is a dearth of personnel, digital skills and international experience. Japan will be short 450,000 information technology professionals in 2030, according to an estimate by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The forecast has sparked a sense of alarm, especially in the business community. Property developer Mitsubishi Estate is training 10,000 people within the group in data analysis and other digital tools. But these types of initiatives remain the exception rather than the rule. Another problem is the fact that 70% of IT personnel in Japan are concentrated in IT companies. This is the result of businesses not completely moving away from seniority-based pay scales to those based on skill sets and qualifications.
Analog Japan sinks to record low in global digital ranking
Nation falls further behind South Korea, Taiwan and China
asia.nikkei.com