ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development (HRD) Zulfikar Abbas Bukhari met with Japanese ambassador to Pakistan Kininori Matsuda to discuss the export of Pakistani IT engineers in Japan.
The meeting was followed by a video conference held with the Japanese IT Companies association. Officials from the ministry of foreign affairs, ministry of information technology, Pakistan Software House association and embassies of both countries participated in the meeting.
The Japanese IT Association said that the shortage of IT engineers is intensifying in Japan. According to Japan’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry, by 2030, Japan will face a shortage of 800,000 IT engineers. They further said that after the COVID-19 situation subsides, more than 500 Japanese IT companies will invest in Pakistan.
The Japanese envoy apprised the SAPM about 100 Japanese companies ncluding NEC Corporation, Mac, Sankyo, and Orix Japan, who have contacted the embassy following the Pak-Japan skilled workforce agreement.
Bukhari said the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis is expanding its horizon of Pakistani manpower exports to countries other than Gulf region. He said that the ministry is in close contact with South Korea, Romania, Germany and Japan and sending manpower to Japan is their top priority.
Bukhari said he will be making an important visit to Japan next year and year 2021 will mark a new beginning of Pakistan-Japan relations. He hoped the ministry will pave the way for Pakistani IT engineers to work in Japan and Japanese IT companies would also be welcomed to set up training centers in Pakistan.
He further said that after the Japan visit, Pak-Japan IT Conference will also be held in Pakistan and that Japan will soon become the second largest market for Pakistanis after the Gulf countries.
