Japan's Depressed Electronic Engineers

[Mulboyne]

EE Times: Japan engineers need to get back on their feet
The Japan engineers seem to be heavily affected by the struggle for relevance in a technology world that is shifting resources and manufacturing to China. Or perhaps it's more correct to say that Japan EEs, jaded by years of painful restructuring actions that have failed repeatedly to deliver the hoped-for results, suspect their employers lack the skills and the tools to restore the country's high-tech competitiveness. Whatever the reasons for their malaise, it's clear Japanese engineers are less enthusiastic about the profession than their colleagues in China, Europe, India and North America. As a result, as a group they are far more willing today than in the past to forsake their employers for greener pastures, according to the 2009 EE Times Global Salary & Opinion Survey. About 20 per cent of Japan respondents to the survey indicated they would "like to change" employers "within a few years" or sooner. Of course, old habits die hard: 76 per cent of Japanese respondents still indicated an inclination to "work for my company for many more years," the highest rate among all regional respondents...more...

Related FG thread: Japan Needs More Engineers

[Neo-Rio]

With Japanese employers likely to bitchslap their engineers into a salaryman lifestyle, it's not hard to see why engineers want to get the hell out....
unfortunately they have to learn another language... like English, which the Japanese are constantly reminded is "muri"

...a situation which works well for employers.. but perhaps the Engineers are willing to do an Ayn Randian Atlas shrug on them in the near future. Time will tell, and perhaps more companies will have to go bust before things get better.

[Number11]

I'm not sure that the conclusions reached by the article writer are valid. There would certainly be cultural differences in expectations. How many were sampled? All the Japanese respondents would have to be high-level English readers, which are rare, so those people may have different expectations, such as the "grass is greener" syndrome, that would skew results.

Anyway, interesting find, Mulboyne.

[Taro Toporific]

Related FG thread: Japan Needs More Engineers

Japanese have a very unique way of classifying their so-called "engineers." Most Japanese engineers, especially those in software, do not have a formal education in engineering beyond cookbook-style company classes. From what I can tell in my experience in Hitachi for 20+ years, if a Japanese says they are a "system engineer," it automatically means they have no formal programming education.

[IkemenTommy]

Japanese have a very unique way of classifying their so-called "engineers." Most Japanese engineers, especially those in software, do not have a formal education in engineering beyond cookbook-style company classes. From what I can tell in my experience in Hitachi for 20+ years, if a Japanese says they are a "system engineer," it automatically means they have no formal programming education.

When I hear "system engineer," my first reaction is "oh.. another IT help-desk support fixing network problems.."

With all the engineering jobs outsourced to some third-world countries like China and India, I don't see the motivation for the kids to pursue the engineering career path.

[Catoneinutica]

Japan sucks at programming because high-level software requires creativity, and the J-education system inculcates conformity. Software also requires specialization, and, as Taro suggests, J-companies loath allowing too much intellectual capital accumulate in a single staff member; they might change jobs or start their own company.