Facing a dearth of qualified applicants at home, Japanese businesses are increasingly hiring science graduates from universities abroad for career-track positions at company headquarters in Japan.
One potential stumbling block has been removed for the foreign applicants; many companies do not require Japanese language ability.
Blue-chip manufacturers of electric appliances, cameras and heavy equipment are among the companies seeking overseas students to fill positions at their main offices and improve operations abroad.
In the current fiscal year, 6.1 percent of Japanese companies recruited foreign graduates for career-track positions in Japan, according to a survey by Tokyo-based job information provider Disco Inc., which surveyed 539 companies.
Disco predicts the figure will rise to 9.6 percent in fiscal 2014.
Ebara Corp., a manufacturer of industrial machinery in Tokyo’s Ota Ward, said it started recruiting foreign students overseas in 2010 simply because fewer Japanese students with science degrees were applying for jobs at the company.
Ebara at that time faced a serious shortage of engineers in machinery and electric appliances.
“If we cannot find them in Japan, we should go abroad,†an official at Ebara’s personnel section recalled thinking at that time. “We will lose a good opportunity if we do not recruit skilled engineers just because of their inability to speak Japanese.â€
Of the 67 individuals who have accepted job offers and are expected to join Ebara in spring next year, 15, or about 20 percent, are students from abroad, including China and South Korea.
“I am interested in working for a Japanese company because of Japan’s manufacturing prowess and lifetime employment system,†said Chen Si-yong, a 24-year-old Taiwanese student. “I want to become a member of management.â€
Although Japanese language ability was not a requirement in the applications, Ebara enrolls its foreign hires at a Japanese language school at the company’s expense after they accept the job offers.
Seven of the foreign recruits recently began studying Japanese, sparking a sense of competition from some Japanese workers.
“If we cannot speak other languages, we will lag behind our foreign peers,†said a 22-year-old Japanese student who accepted Ebara’s job offer.
Ebara holds recruitment activities at universities around Asia that are highly rated in science. The company underscores its lifetime employment system and many training programs in its pitches to the students.
Foreign hires at Ebara receive the same salaries, assignments and other employment conditions as their Japanese counterparts on the career track.
Swaraj Pandhare, 23, had never heard of Ebara when he was studying metal engineering at the University of Pune in western India. But he took an interest after attending a company session on the campus in November 2011. He was impressed by Ebara’s technological abilities.
Pandhare is one of 19 foreigners who joined Ebara this year as a fast-track employee. The final round of his interview in Japan was his first trip abroad.
He produces documents that provide instructions in Japanese on how to produce cast metal used in industrial pumps.
“He cannot understand very difficult kanji, but he has no problem communicating with others in Japanese,†said Katsunori Ichiki, Pandhare’s 43-year-old boss.
Hitachi Ltd., which began recruiting foreigners in 2011, is looking abroad for 10 percent of its new hires.
In fiscal 2012 and fiscal 2013, about 90 foreigners joined Hitachi’s work force in Japan.
In 2009, Konica Minolta Inc. also set a 10-percent target for foreign recruitment. Since then, it has hired about 10 foreigners each year. Japanese language ability is not a requirement.
Sumitomo Heavy Industries Ltd.’s policy is to have foreign recruits fill 30 percent of new positions. Combined with those expected to join Sumitomo Heavy next spring, the total number of foreign recruits over a three-year period will be 30.
Yoshihiro Ishiguro, president of Jobtessio Inc., which offers services for overseas recruitment, said Japanese companies need to diversify their headquarters as they move production and operations abroad and take over foreign businesses.
“They need to not only fill senior management positions overseas with foreigners, but they also should make their headquarters represent many nationalities,†he said.
Article source: http://petapixel.com/2012/08/30/focus-peaking-making-its-way-onto-more-digital-cameras/
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Japanese businesses turn to foreign engineers to fill the void
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