Human Resources with Doctoral Degrees: Companies Need to Actively Capitalize on Their Talents

Editorial

16:13 JST, August 27, 2024

The utilization of human resources with doctoral degrees, who hold deep expertise, is directly related to the enhancement of Japan’s national strength and the international competitiveness of Japanese companies. It is hoped that the ranks of personnel with doctoral degrees will be expanded through active recruitment by companies and cooperation between companies and universities.

The Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry and the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry have established a joint study group to strengthen measures to support the employment of doctoral degree holders. Around the spring of next year, the study group intends to release guidelines compiling examples of initiatives that companies and universities can use as a reference.

Due to Japan’s low birth rate and shrinking population, the labor shortage is expected to become more serious. Companies are competing with each other in cutting-edge fields such as artificial intelligence and next-generation energy-related technologies, and companies and universities need to accelerate the development of specialized human resources.

In Europe and the United States, doctoral degree holders are regarded as human resources with expertise and wide-ranging abilities, and they are active in a variety of fields, including business, public institutions and international organizations.

In Japan, however, there is a stereotype that doctoral degree holders will remain at universities and become researchers. Doctoral degrees are conferred on about 126 people per million each year in Japan, much lower than the figures in other countries, such as 342 in Britain and 286 in the United States.

Among researchers employed by companies, slightly more than 4% hold doctoral degrees across all industries, while the figure is more than 10% in the United States. It is highly important to create an environment in which people with doctoral degrees can be active.

To support and increase employment of human resources with doctoral degrees, it is essential to clarify career paths after employment. Japanese companies, which traditionally hire new graduates en masse at the same time, often lack clear guidelines on how to deal with doctoral degree holders, so it is said that students with doctoral degrees are hesitant to get jobs at companies.

Some companies, such as Hitachi, Ltd., are recruiting personnel by clarifying job categories, such as research and development, and information technology. These firms are also defining job descriptions and required abilities for positions, such as a department manager or section chief.

Hitachi also reportedly offers higher salaries based on the publication of research findings, acceptance of papers and other factors.

In Europe and the United States, it is common for companies to adopt a similar system, and there are many examples of doctoral degree holders playing active roles as business development leaders. Leading examples should be shared among the business community and universities, through which companies should expand employment of doctoral degree holders.

In addition, students want to work as an extension of their current research, whereas companies expect them to be active in a wide range of fields. It is hoped that universities and the business community will continue to make efforts to establish opportunities for dialogue and resolve the gap in perceptions.

It is also essential to establish a system for people with doctoral degrees to move back and forth between companies and universities. This has the advantage that both companies and universities can enhance their expertise backed by practical experience. It is desirable to promote reforms of the personnel system at companies and the curriculum at universities in conjunction with the creation of the system.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Aug. 27, 2024)