Special Report
The Future of Japan’s Economy
The potential impact of ICT on business performance and employment
2017 Volume 32 Issue 1 Pages 39-50
Details
2017 Volume 32 Issue 1 Pages 39-50
This chapter will introduce some of the outcome of research activities on ICT-driven economy in which the author was participated, as a principal economist of Japan Center for Economic Research.
If advanced ICT is able to be adopted, productivity is expected to improve dramatically. Results based on provisional calculation show that investments in ICT may boost Japan's GDP by approximately 70 trillion Yen by 2030. However, if ICT investments are regarded only as a means of reducing operating costs, it is not possible to expect positive effects. Quantitative research shows that the group of companies that use ICT for interacting with customers has higher productivity than the group of companies that do not. It is also necessary to pay certain attention to risks such as employment shifting. There are concerns that the mismatching of employment will take place. Reviewing education and the methods of vocational training will be useful.
