抄録
This study is a report to the Ministry of Education published in March 1990. It estimates the supply and demand of scientists and engineers engaged in information processing - so-called info-engineers for short - by the year 2000 in Japan, and discusses relevant educational issues. Information processing is here taken to include computer science, information systems, computer engineering and hardware engineering. The estimated demand for info-engineers by the year 2000 is put at 1.9 or 2 million, out of which 590,000 to 660,000 would be needed in the R&D sector. These figures are arrived at on the basis of real GNP figures and the number of personal computers currently in use. The supply was estimated through a policy-based model which incorporated assessments of the effects of the relevant policies implemented so far, including increasing the number of student places in information-related educational programmes, converting certain occupational categories into information processing, and encouraging women info-engineers to resume work after long periods of absence for family reasons. An increase in the number of students in this area will naturally entail a corresponding increase in the demand for pertinent educational staff. Based on the given estimates, scenarios for meeting the demand and supply needs are drawn and policy courses delineated. Numerous suggestions are put forward to promote the education of info-engineers.
