Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to clarify the structure of the demand and supply of new science and engineering graduates in Japan, especially in relation to their employment by enterprises. Japanese universities are often criticized by employers for not producing highly qualified scientists and engineers. We propose a view of this 'mismatching' of scientific and engineering education. Four surveys were conducted to investigate the mismatching and the mobility of scientists and engineers, and the results of our analyses can be summarized as follows:The employment of new graduates is of vital importance for Japanese enterprises. Nevertheless, there is a mismatching in the education of new graduates. This is due to not only the mismanagement of the higher education system but also to the job search behavior of new graduates and the manner in which enterprises employ and treat them. However, there are flexible adaptation mechanisms which overcome the mismatching are which built into the enterprises. Both Japanese customs of employment and R & D activities that are focused on the introduction of foreign technologies are considered to have contributed to the development of these mechanisms.
