2023-10-22 06:00:00
The new law will come into effect in April 2024 for industries where overtime work caps have been suspended due to work style reforms. The construction industry is one such industry, and the situation is serious. Bankruptcies are already occurring one after another across the country, and a private research firm has pointed out the possibility that “houses will not be built.” The road to improving the working environment at the Osaka/Kansai Expo, where pavilion construction is not making any progress, is difficult, with some within the Liberal Democratic Party calling for “extralegal measures.” (Yuichiro Yamada)
◆Number of bankruptcies exceeded last year through September
Teikoku Databank highlighted the construction industry as a noteworthy trend in its August national corporate bankruptcy tally. The number of bankruptcies in the construction industry from January to August was 1,082, exceeding 1,000 for the first time in six years. By September, the number had increased to 1,207, exceeding the number of bankruptcies in the previous year, which was 1,204. If this trend continues, it is certain that this will be the highest number in the past five years.
The main factor is the impact of high prices, but the background is also a labor shortage, including an aging workforce and a decline in applications from young workers. Daisuke Iijima of the company said, “Employees with essential qualifications for work, such as architects and construction managers, are leaving their jobs.There is also a shortage of on-site workers, making it difficult for small and medium-sized businesses to accept orders and complete construction. ”, he points out.
According to the company’s survey, 68.3% of the construction industry is experiencing a “labor shortage,” which is higher than the pre-coronavirus level. In rural areas, the effects of the labor shortage are already being felt, with construction bids for disaster recovery efforts failing. Mr. Iijima said, “Since 2024, overtime regulations have increased the need for more manpower, and craftsmen have been hired to work on-site in urban areas.In rural areas, even though there is demand and materials, they are unable to build houses or repair roads. “Situations such as “not being able to remove snow” may occur frequently,” he warns.
◆40% of carpenters are over 60 years old, making invoices a burden
In particular, the decline in the number of carpenters who are responsible for building wooden houses is remarkable. According to the National Census, the number of carpenters in Japan was approximately 300,000 as of 2020, less than half of the total in 20 years, and 40% were over 60 years old. Hirotaka Kanizawa, a professor of architectural production systems at Shibaura Institute of Technology, said, “In the industry as a whole, general contractors and others have been working to improve the working conditions of craftsmen by making them employees, but many carpenters are self-employed individuals known as “single masters,” and their work style has changed. “We have been left behind in reform.”
Additionally, the invoice (qualified invoice) system that started this month will weigh heavily. “In order to improve treatment, it is necessary to hire craftsmen as employees and guarantee working hours and wages, but the burden of administrative work is causing elderly sole proprietors to go out of business.There is also a shortage of successors. “There will be an overwhelming shortage of craftsmen.”
Building construction site in Yaesu, Tokyo, where the accident occurred in September, from the headquarters helicopter “Ozuru”
Along with the labor shortage, another serious issue is the frequent occurrence of industrial accidents. According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the number of fatalities due to industrial accidents in the construction industry was 281 last year, an increase for the second consecutive year. This year, in July, a bridge girder fell during construction work on the National Route 1 bypass elevated road in Shimizu Ward, Shizuoka City, resulting in the death and injury of eight workers. In September, a steel frame fell at the construction site of a commercial complex near Tokyo Station, killing and injuring five people.
◆And is the Osaka Expo really safe?
“One of the reasons for the accident is that there are few experienced craftsmen on site. If overtime is no longer possible after 2024, the progress of work will slow down. This will lead to even more accidents,” points out architectural economist Takashi Moriyama.
What is of concern is the site of the 2025 Osaka/Kansai Expo. In particular, construction of overseas pavilions is not progressing well, and there is a possibility that construction will be concentrated at the timing of the start of work style reforms, so some are calling for consideration of exempting overtime regulations only for Expo-related construction. Mr. Moriyama emphasizes these movements. “There’s no point in ignoring the rules for the sake of a single case. It won’t lead to an improvement in the working environment, and in the end, young people will leave.”
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