Government research has revealed that less than one per cent of Japanese information technology experts work in the public sector, far fewer than in other countries, such as the United States.
The report, Japanese Economy and Public Finance for Fiscal 2020, focused on the nation’s slow adoption of digital technologies, which has drawn attention during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Report found that some 70 per cent of computer system designers and other IT professionals in Japan work in the IT industry, including information service companies.
“The share is far higher than in Western countries, where less than half of such workers are in the IT industry while the remainder are dispersed across many sectors, such as retail and finance,” the Report stated.
“In the United States and Germany, over 60 per cent of IT professionals work in non-IT sectors.”
The Report found Japan had fewer IT workers in the public sector, which included Government Departments and schools, than in the United States, where the share was more than 10 per cent.
It found the concentration of IT professionals in the tech sector was creating a shortage of such experts in non-IT fields, rendering it difficult to make effective investments.
“The slow adoption of digital technologies has led to major problems such as delays in distributing Coronavirus cash relief, making the digitalisation of Government administration all the more important,” the report stated.
It also noted a low level of IT investments in the private sector and said if digital technologies were not adopted at a faster pace in both the public and private sectors, Japan might find itself lagging behind other countries in both efficiency and productivity.
Tokyo, 9 November 2020
