However, as of 1990, slightly less than half of Japan's scientists and engineers had earned at least a college degree. This may suggest that Japanese firms place greater emphasis on in-house training that is specific to each company's specific assignments than on formal education, or it may imply that the most challenging work is reserved for the more educated scientists and engineers. Scientists and engineers are concentrated at younger ages. Most scientists and engineers are in their mid-40's or younger.
Males are far more evenly distributed among the five year age cohorts than are females.
Computer processing is the largest of the scientist and engineer fields. Over 467,000 males and 90,000 females, accounting for 25 percent of the employed scientists and engineers, work in computer processing. The vast majority of scientists and engineers are employees. In addition, a small share of engineers consists of unpaid family workers. Service, manufacturing and construction dominate employment of scientists and engineers.