Japan drops to 26th globally in annual pay for IT workers

Japan drops to 26th globally in annual pay for IT workers

I can attest.

Wage theft is also an issue with small to mid-size companies.

It would be of most interest, to study some links between the hiring, layoffs, and force-reductions of IT professionals - especially security experts - to the rate of hacking and data theft. And also, since much of corporate business previously decided to out-source this to the lowest bidder, whether quality DOES matter when it comes to hackings and data theft.

Japanese employers don’t have much respect for their workers, especially their young ones. The assumption is that you devote your life to your company and never take personal holidays or job-hop, as it suppresses your salary as much as possible regardless of the value of your contributions.

Most companies here treat IT workers the same as cleaning staff. No respect or consideration for the work we do, none.

My company doesn't even hire specialists for roles which truly need specialists! Need something legal knocked up or looked at? Nah, we don't need a lawyer for that, just get Tanaka-kun to learn about it and do it. Need something IT-related carried out? Nah, we don't need a specialist for that, just get Kato-kun to read up about it and do it. I was once asked to write a contract for a new employee we were hiring, despite having zero expertise in this field; I refused point blank.

Yen weakness not a strong selling point for IT workers!

Japan just announced they would reveal a 6-month "digital nomad" visa in March for foreign IT workers who need a minimum income of $ 68,000 USD. This is twice as much as a Japanese IT salary

That has an affect on the quality of IT professionals. Hackers are salivating to read news like this.

“First World Country, Third World IT Security.”

The only way Japan stays safe is to become less connected. The rollout of MyNumber is setting up Japan for a world of hurt once Chinese hackers get a crack at the fully implemented system.

May be Company executives in Japan do not get in their head what is the need of an IT professional.

Strategy dies from there...

 How in the world does Japan have any hope in attracting talent when they pay such paltry amounts in such a competitive, crucial ‘industry’…?

1) They don't care, because there will always be Japanese drones willing to work for 250,000 yen per month.

2) It's clearly not a competitive and crucial industry to the Japanese.

The rollout of MyNumber is setting up Japan for a world of hurt once Chinese hackers get a crack at the fully implemented system.

If I gave you my My Number card right here and now, there is precisrely diddly squat you could do with it.

You need my PIN number to do anything with it.

$36,000 would put you close to the poverty line in most developed nations today.

More Japanese will want to work overseas.

Fewer non-Japanese will want to work in Japan.

Does this spell doom for Japan's future?

IT in Japan is one of the worst industries to be in Japan, when you count in the fringe benefits, IT is one of the lowest paying as IT companies are notoriously cheap with their benefits, not to mention the lack of job security compared to other industries ok top of lack of good severage packages (weeks vs months in other industries. This is not to mention the long hours and generally heartless management vs other industries, as IT tend to have a lot more companies run by jerks.

The situation is unlikely to improve as IT is the one of the only industry where little Japanese is required, therefore you have an army of foreigners who want to live in Japan willing to accept lower pay.

No one who have the Japanese level to work in other industries should even consider Japan IT industry.

Seems like a shame, and bad for the Japanese economy overall.