Digital Transformation for Human Resource Development - What Should We Do?

■Digital Transformation for Human Resource Development - What Should We Do?

Digital Nation Japan Forum.

I appeared at the "Challenges of Digital Human Resource Development".

Digital transformation of human resources ranks 63rd in the IMD ranking. What should we do do?

With Member of Diet, Ms. Satsuki Katayama; Mr. Izumi, Head of the Information Economy Division of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry; Mr. Urakawa, Chairman of SOMPO Systems; and Mr. Mori, Corporate Executive Officer at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited.

Here are my comments.

1. Situational awareness of digital transformation

Japan has fallen. The country's ranking in competitiveness has dropped in rank by 30 in 30 years of the Heisei era, and wages have become low.

What became clear during COVID-19 was that Japan's was poor in digital support. Its downfall was due to digital technology.

Remote work has been an issue for 30 years, but is at its lowest level in major nations.

Even more serious than industry are the public sectors of healthcare, education, and government. We cannot respond to crises on site with Fax, only 5% of classes can be done online, and 7.5% of national procedures are online.

For both the eJapan strategy from 20 years ago, and last year's framework policy, the introduction of IT to administration and education is at the core. It has stopped for 20 years.

There is the 4th industrial revolution and Society 5.0 through AI and IoT, but Japan has not even reached the 3rd industrial revolution or Society 4.0.

Firstly, the starting point is to recognize this.

However, I am hopeful. The reason for the delay is that the success experienced in the Showa era was too strong.

In industrial growth, Japanese-style management was highly praised.

The fields of healthcare, education, and government were considered "World-class".

There was little incentive to innovate digitally.

I noticed during COVID-19 that we have real ability.

Few deaths during COVID-19; it is likely to be overcome without lockdowns; and there is no damage to safety and security. Foreigners will return.

I want to respond now and turn this situation into an opportunity.

2. Issues with the digital transformation of human resources

The pool of human resources will expand rapidly.

Digital human resources = IT experts were unevenly distributed among vendors, SIer, and digital companies.

However, all industries and occupations are going digital, and everyone will become a digital human resource.

Not only vendors, but also finance, logistics, manufacturing, construction, and agriculture too.

Not only IT departments, but also management, planning, sales, general affairs, and accounting too.

The top, middle, and bottom layers of the workforce need to be deepened.

Top management = training experts at universities.

Training middle-level business personnel through recurrent education, training, and university curriculum organization.

Even More than that, in the long run, it is important to raise everyone's literacy. This will finally begin by having one PC per person, and making programming a mandatory subject.

iU was created to develop the human resources who will bring about innovation in information and management.

Having human resources who are useful in all industries, instead of just working for an IT company.

All members are trained together with the company as interns.

The fact that the number of partner companies reached 250 within one year of the opening of the university, is proof that there is a need for this from the industrial world.

3. Strategy for human resource development

Takuya Hirai the Digital Minister, has requested a regional Digital transformation of human resources development strategy, and iU is designing the curriculum. However, it is impossible for just one school to do this. I want to expand this nationwide through collaboration between industry and academia.

Teaching can be done online, but hands-on learning centers are needed. The Liberal Democratic Party's proposal calls for the development of 6 to 9 locations. I want to utilize universities in various locations.

However, I am optimistic in the long term.

Ten years from now, the PC mobile generation, who are now around 40 years old, will become presidents. Junior high school students will be entering the workforce. If we can survive until then, we will be fine.

What is needed is a generational change.