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                                                                                                                                                                                                  Japan and South Korea are technological powerhouses, but both face an unprecedented demographic crisis. By 2040, nearly one in three Japanese citizens will be over 65, and the country already needs close to 7 lakh foreign workers annually to sustain its manufacturing, services, and caregiving sectors.

Written By: AS Mittal

Thenewsdose.com

New Delhi/Chandigarh| UPDATED: Dec 22,2025,12.20PM

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Industry Minister Sanjeev Arora’s recent 10-day investment-focused visit to Japan and South Korea marks a decisive shift in Punjab’s global engagement—one that goes beyond attracting factories and capital to addressing the deeper question of youth employability.

For the first time, a Punjab delegation travelled to East Asia with a sharply defined economic agenda, breaking away from earlier, largely ceremonial or diaspora-centric visits to Canada, the US, and the UK. This pivot is not merely about courting investors; it is about preparing Punjab’s young workforce to integrate into some of the world’s most advanced yet rapidly ageing economies. In this context, language learning—Japanese and Korean in particular—emerges as the critical bridge between foreign investment, global jobs, and Punjab’s battle against rising unemployment.

Why Punjab Needs Language Readiness

Japan and South Korea are technological powerhouses, but both face an unprecedented demographic crisis. By 2040, nearly one in three Japanese citizens will be over 65, and the country already needs close to 7 lakh foreign workers annually to sustain its manufacturing, services, and caregiving sectors. South Korea, too, is witnessing a sharp population decline, threatening the long-term viability of its industrial workforce. To counter this, both nations have opened structured labour pathways through Japan’s Specified Skilled Worker (SSW) programme and Korea’s Employment Permit System (EPS).

Punjab, with over 70% of its population under 40, fits squarely into this demand profile. During their engagements with industry leaders, chambers of commerce, and government agencies in Japan and Korea, Mann and Arora have laid the foundation not only for investment in sectors such as electric mobility, precision manufacturing, food processing, agritech, and automotive components, but also for sustained workforce mobility. However, this opportunity can only be realised if Punjab aligns its skill ecosystem with East Asian workplace requirements—starting with language competence.

Language Learning: The Missing Link in Punjab’s Employability

Punjab produces nearly 2.5 lakh trained youth every year from ITIs, polytechnics, and universities. Yet, the principal barrier to their entry into the Japanese and Korean job markets is not a lack of technical skills but a lack of language proficiency. The contrast is stark: nearly 6 lakh Punjabi aspirants appear for IELTS annually to migrate to English-speaking countries such as Canada, Australia and the US, while fewer than 1–2% have access to Japanese or Korean language learning, mainly through a handful of private institutes.

Japanese employers typically require N4 or N5-level Japanese, while Korean companies mandate basic TOPIK-level Korean. Without this functional language foundation, even skilled welders, electricians, machine operators, caregivers, and hospitality workers remain ineligible. Introducing six-month Japanese and Korean language modules across state colleges, universities, and technical institutes could therefore be a transformative intervention. These courses need not aim for fluency; their purpose should be practical—workplace communication, safety instructions, cultural orientation, interview readiness, and basic documentation. Such a move would convert Punjab’s demographic advantage into tangible employment outcomes.

Making Language Policy Central to Economic Strategy

The Japan–Korea visit must now translate into institutional action. Punjab should establish dedicated Punjab–Japan and Punjab–Korea Workforce Missions, integrate six-month language certification programmes in government-run colleges and ITIs, and partner with organisations such as the External Trade Organisation (JETRO), JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency), KOICA (Korea International Cooperation Agency), and KOTRA (Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency), which already support language and skill mobility initiatives. If Punjab trains even 20% of its annual graduate and ITI output in Japanese and Korean, tens of thousands of youth could access stable overseas employment every year—reducing unemployment, increasing remittances, and strengthening Punjab’s global credibility as a skilled workforce hub. This is precisely the model that enabled Kerala and Andhra Pradesh to dominate Gulf labour markets in earlier decades.

Building a Punjab–East Asia Economic Bridge

Punjabis have historically demonstrated exceptional adaptability in global labour markets, dominating migration flows to Canada, the UK, the US, and Australia. East Asia, though less explored, offers similar long-term potential. Experience shows that once settled abroad, Punjabi workers often evolve into entrepreneurs—running food ventures, logistics firms, repair workshops, and trading businesses. In Japan and Korea, these individuals can become natural connectors for Punjab-based industries seeking access to East Asian markets for agri-produce, sports goods, cycle components, textiles, and auto parts.

Simultaneously, Japanese and Korean MSMEs looking to diversify supply chains are actively scouting for reliable manufacturing bases. Punjab’s industrial clusters in Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Mohali, and Amritsar—combined with a pipeline of language-trained workers—can make the state an attractive destination. The Mann–Arora visit thus sets the stage for a dual-flow economic relationship: investment and technology entering Punjab, and skilled workforce and entrepreneurship networks extending outward to Japan and Korea.

Way Forward

CM Bhagwant Mann and Industry Minister Sanjeev Arora’s Japan–Korea mission is more than an investment promotion tour; it is the beginning of a strategic reorientation in how Punjab links education, employment, and global opportunity. By placing language learning at the centre of its economic and workforce policy, Punjab can convert this 10-day visit into a decade-defining transformation—one that exports skills with dignity, attracts quality investment, and repositions the state as a confident, globally connected economy.

The author is Vice-Chairman of Sonalika ITL Group,Vice-Chairman( Cabinet minister rank)of the Punjab Economic Policy and Planning Board, and Chairman of ASSOCHAM Northern Region Development Council. Views expressed are personal.