Hokkaido Electric Power and PE-BANK Hold Dialogue on Securing IT Talent and Multi-Tier Subcontracting in Hokkaido

PE-BANK Co., Ltd. (Minato-ku, Tokyo / President & CEO Mikiya Takada), a group company of MCEA Holdings Co., Ltd. (Minato-ku, Tokyo / President & CEO Takeiku Saito) that proposes new working styles for IT engineers, held a talk event at EZOHUB TOKYO alongside Hokkaido Electric Power Co., Inc., focusing on the themes of "Securing IT Talent" and the "Multi-Tier Subcontracting Structure" in the Hokkaido area.

While the need for DX promotion is increasing, the shortage of IT talent in rural areas is becoming severe. In addition, it has been pointed out as a challenge that the multi-tier subcontracting structure caused by complex commercial channels affects project speed, cost, and quality, as well as the compensation of engineers.

On the day of the event, Norihisa Takayama, Managing Director of PE-BANK and Representative Director of the IT Freelance Support Association, and Keiji Tamura, General Manager of the Information and Communication Department at Hokkaido Electric Power, took the stage to exchange views from both the client's and the contractor's perspectives.

Challenges in Securing IT Talent in Hokkaido It was shared that while the need for DX grows, securing IT talent is a critical issue that dictates corporate growth and business transformation in regional areas like Hokkaido. In this talk session, unique regional structural issues were raised: not only is the total pool of talent limited compared to urban areas, but even within Hokkaido, talent tends to concentrate in Sapporo, and locally raised talent easily drains to metropolitan areas.

Furthermore, views were exchanged on the importance of not just relying on strengthening full-time hires to solve the problem, but also creating an environment where diverse talents, including external personnel and freelancers, can easily participate while promoting the development and reskilling of internal staff. A shared understanding emerged that companies are increasingly required to establish acceptance systems and mechanisms that allow diverse talents to demonstrate their abilities to cope with regional talent shortages.

Impacts of the Multi-Tier Subcontracting Structure and the Common Understanding Required Between Clients and Contractors Regarding the multi-tier subcontracting structure in the IT industry, as commercial flows become complex, information and decision-making easily become fragmented along the way.