Japan Addresses Severe Data Science Talent Shortage With 17 New University Departments

Japan is taking steps to address a severe shortage of data science talent, with 17 universities set to launch data science departments in the upcoming academic year starting in April, Nikkei Asia reports.

The move aims to train up to 1,900 students in the skills necessary to drive digitization in businesses and government. Based on government data from 2019, this talent shortage in the data science field is expected to reach 790,000 by 2030.

Japanese Universities Double Down on Data Sciences

The new departments will be a significant addition to the 137 universities that currently offer data science programs, and it is anticipated that they will enroll about 1,900 students a year.

For instance, the department of social data science will be the first new faculty to be established at Tokyo's Hitotsubashi University since 1951. According to Nikkei, this department will have artificial intelligence experts and teach students how to apply data science to social science problems.

Shiga University

Public university Shiga University's success has prompted other universities to introduce similar programs. Data science courses are available through Shiga University's department of data science, which was established in 2017.

The university's Center for Data Science Education and Research has conducted joint studies and entered into partnerships with numerous commercial enterprises. In fact, the university is also home to industry advisors from big players like Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd., East Japan Railway Company, and more.

The Japanese Ministry of Education also chose Shiga University as one of the six core institutions to support the teaching of mathematics and data science.

The Ministry of Education is encouraging universities, including those in the humanities, to offer students training programs in data science, to ensure that graduates have the skills necessary to drive businesses' digitization drives

What Is Data Science?

"Data quantity is increasing at an accelerating rate due to the exponential development of information and communication technologies," says Takemura Akimichi of the Shiga Graduate School of Data Science.

In data science, statistical and programming techniques are used to analyze data to derive knowledge from it. Due to the progress of information technology, it is now easy to collect a lot of data, making data science skills essential for businesses and government officials who need to make decisions.

The establishment of these new divisions demonstrates Japan's dedication to closing the talent gap in data science and giving its businesses and government the tools they need to succeed in the digital era. The goal is for the graduates of these programs to leave with the abilities and knowledge needed to advance digitization and steer their organizations and governments into the future.

According to Statista data, employers across industries are increasing their hiring efforts to build larger data science arsenals: from 2020 to 2021, the percentage of surveyed organizations that employed 50 or more data scientists increased from 30% to nearly 60%. The average number of data scientists employed in a company increased from 28 to 50.