YUMIKO URASAKI
Government will work with companies to train programmers, software engineers
New internships targeting older workers in Japan will be paid, lowering barriers for those looking to start working in the tech industry quickly. (Photo obtained by Nikkei)
TOKYO -- Japan is turning to middle-aged workers to help solve its labor shortage in the tech sector, with a pilot internship program launching next year for aspiring career changers.
The new initiative by Japan's labor ministry will target non-tech industry workers -- including those in their 40s and 50s -- who have received some training toward becoming software engineers and programmers.
The interns will be placed at participating companies for up to six months, during which they will work with designated mentors over an extended period of time.
The ministry expects around 60 companies to participate in the program, which will be introduced on a trial basis. Interns will be paid for their work.
Japan will face a shortage of up to 800,000 workers in the information technology sector in 2030, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry predicts. The new program aims to help ease this shortage by encouraging older workers, who typically have a harder time entering new fields, to move into growth industries.
Around 2,400 individuals aged 35 and above are expected to take internships through the program during its initial two-year trial. If successful, the labor ministry will aim for a full-scale rollout.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida considers the digital sector an economic priority, and is looking to boost investment in talent in the field. The labor ministry requested 200 billion yen (around $1.35 billion) for retraining and other-related programs in the fiscal 2024 budget, part of which will be used for the new program.
More middle-aged and older workers in Japan are seeking career changes as the decline of traditional practices like lifetime employment and seniority-based systems creates increasing uncertainty.
The number of people aged 45 to 64 seeking to switch jobs or take on another job averaged 3.46 million last year, up 27% from four years earlier, according to government data -- a faster rise than other age groups.
Meanwhile, a number of private-sector companies are taking steps of their own to cultivate digital know-how among workers.
All Nippon Airways in May launched a reskilling program for employees aged 50 to 58, encouraging them to acquire digital skills or become certified in areas such as accounting. Sapporo Holdings set a goal last year of making all of its employees digitally capable, and has provided training to around 6,000 employees groupwide.
"Just offering learning opportunities will not help advance the reskilling of workers," said Hidenobu Nakahata, general manager of the human capital group at Hitachi. The industrial group is considered a pioneer in companywide reskilling, including for older employees. "You have to change employees' mindset," Nakahata said.
Source: Nikkei Inc.
Original content:
https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Work/Japan-plans-internships-to-help-older-workers-start-in-tech
