SKILLS CONFIDENCE LOW AMONGST PROFESSIONALS IN JAPAN SAYS REPORT BY HAYS

A new report by leading recruitment experts Hays found that across Asia, Japan has the lowest number of working professionals who think their hard skills and soft skills are sufficient to succeed and stay relevant in the next 3-5 years. The report titled Uncovering the DNA of the Future Workplace in Asia surveyed over 9,000 working professionals across Asia in February 2020 and again later in the year from between September – October. It was found that the overwhelming majority of respondents in Japan regard upskilling as very important, particularly in the areas of digital and soft skills.

Upskilling takes precedence

The report survey showed that only 51 per cent of respondents in Japan believed their hard skills would be relevant in the next 3-5 years, a number that is significantly lower than the Asia average (70 per cent), and more than half of respondents said their soft skills could use improvement (60 per cent). Japan also had the highest number of respondents in Asia who felt they were unsure (12 per cent) they were sufficiently equipped with the soft skills to succeed in their current role. The latter could be attributed to the sharp rise in remote working, alongside the chronic need for more bilingual Japanese and English language skills.

A need for digital skills

Considering the rapid pace of change currently occurring in Japan, it is perhaps unsurprising that 91 per cent of respondents considered upskilling to be important/very important. In terms of priority, respondents said the development of digital skills (68 per cent), remote orientation training (63 per cent) and e-learning (61 per cent) had become more important to them following the pandemic. This is in line with a region wide trend, with 79 per cent of respondents across Asia saying opportunities to upskill or develop their digital skills have become more important following the pandemic, and 70 per cent of respondents saying their soft skills could use improvement.

Employers must bridge the skills gap

But despite this sentiment, the majority of workplaces in Japan appear to not have enough upskilling opportunities in place for employees. Only 28 per cent of respondents agreed that their current employers provided sufficient opportunities for upskilling – the lowest score across Asia. Development opportunities for digital skills was also low (24 per cent), but more employers appear to be offering e-learning (45 per cent) and remote orientation training opportunities (38 per cent).

Richard Eardley, Managing Director for Hays Japan commented, “Better technology inspires confidence in employees, but no organisation can progress in this area if their employees cannot keep pace. Similarly, an increasingly remote world combined with Japan’s growing demand for bilingual language skills has made soft skills development a necessity for progress. Across the region, there is resounding demand for digital skills, soft skills and remote skillets such as remote orientation and remote leadership. In the new era of work, companies may have transitioned to surviving uncertainty, but a future workplace will need to pivot and invest in training their increasingly digital and remote workforce to communicate, learn and lead remotely. A workplace of the future will ensure no employee is left behind by providing consistent opportunities for employees to upskill in not only digital areas, but communication as well.”

About the Report 

The Uncovering the DNA of the Future Workplace report is based on findings from two surveys conducted on more than 4,000 and 5,000 respondents respectively across the five Hays operating markets in Asia: China, Hong Kong SAR, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore; to measure sentiments on the four core elements we believe will shape workplaces of the future: flexibility, technology, upskilling and purpose. The first survey was concluded in February 2020 at the cusp of the pandemic, with the second having concluded in October 2020. By comparing the two surveys, our findings aim to form a definitive understanding of how the pandemic has altered working sentiments, as well as a barometer for organisations as they seek to understand, attract and retain top talent amidst current challenges and those to come.

Download your copy of the full report here.