People working in Japan are not happy with their pay, and they are increasingly motivated by money. These are the key findings of the recently published 2018 Hays Asia Salary Guide, which underscore the major shift away from lifetime employment and seniority-based pay that is happening in Japan right now. Indeed, “less than 10 percent of workers aged 40-45 have […]
Setting Sights on Bright Cobot Future, Robot Leaders Join Forces
Collaborative robots can be the next big thing – and robot market leaders ABB and Kawasaki Heavy Industries are moving quickly to make that happen. Just a few days back, the two heavyweights announced in Tokyo a formal cooperation. Shortly after, also in Tokyo, ABB launched its latest YuMi collaborative robot at iRex International Robot Exhibition 2017. Also known as […]
3 Ways to Make Japan’s Workforce Fit for the Future – Hays Survey
Almost two million jobs have been created since Prime Minister Shinzo Abe took office in 2012. This is good news for employees, but companies are having difficulties finding the people they need. “With 1.5 jobs per seeker, Japan is now facing the most extreme labor market since 1974,” said Hays Japan Managing Director Marc Burrage while presenting the recruitment specialist’s […]
Brexit: What Will Japanese Companies Do?
After invoking Article 50 on March 29, the United Kingdom is set to leave the European Union by March 2019. Yet with only 18 months to go and after a third failed round of negotiations, it looks increasingly possible that the parties may miss reaching a deal. Such a scenario is problematic for non-European multinationals, many of which steer their […]
In War of Talent, Japan’s Companies Poised to Ramp up Salaries: Hays Survey
Salaries in Japan lag behind those in Asia and the country is losing in the global race for talent, said Marc Burrage, managing director for Japan of international recruitment firm Hays at the presentation of the company’s 2017 Asia Salary Guide. And on first sight, the situation appears dire: The World Economic Forum finds Japan falling from sixth to eighth […]
Female Role Models Create Successful Women in Japan, Survey Says
Successful women serving as female role models are the most effective way to create a more diverse workplace in Japan, said Marc Burrage, managing director of Hays Japan, at the specialist recruitment firm’s recent presentation of its latest Gender Diversity Report in Tokyo. This marks a crucial difference to global trends that strongly focus on flexible working practices. Japanese organizations […]
Internet of Things in Japan: Quietly, Systematically Plowing Ahead
Germany’s famed Plattform Industrie 4.0 initiative has become nothing less than a mainstay at seminars focusing on the future of manufacturing. The U.S. based Industrial Internet Consortium has been gathering momentum, too. Even China has prominently launched its Made in China 2025 initiative. Yet one of the world’s most important industrial powerhouses is apparently not much being talked about. One […]
Effective B2B Communications in Japan: The Vital Role of Strategy
Many small and mid-sized subsidiaries of foreign B2B companies in Japan don’t have large budgets for communication activities. Although there is a trend toward recognizing communications as a strategic function here, too, more often than not, this awareness is still lacking. It’s not uncommon for sales people to think that communications equals advertising, which in turn equals a waste of […]
PR in Japan: Targeting the Right Newspapers
Japan is different. Yes, we have all heard this sentence before. And for many of us, make that too often before. Yet when it comes to public relations, a smartly localized approach can produce superior results—especially in Japan. The reason is—you’ve seen it coming—that the market has quite a few peculiarities. Interestingly enough, many international companies don’t localize smartly and […]
Energy Storage Summit Japan: Toward the Future
Energy storage may not sound particularly sexy, but it is one of the topics that is shaping the future of mankind. Because for a sustainable future, renewable energy is essential. But compared to fossil-based power generation, energy from renewable sources cannot be produced as steadily. The sun shines, or it does not. Wind blows, or it does not. This in […]
Japanese High-Tech Helps People With Low Vision See Again
Japanese high-tech firm QD Laser Inc. and the Medical Faculty of German University of Duisburg-Essen have signed an agreement for cooperation at The University of Tokyo today. As part of the Memorandum of Understanding, the Eye Clinic of Essen University Hospital will perform clinical studies and research with the innovative retinal imaging laser eyewear (LEW) model developed by QD Laser […]