JSCE Magazine Summary & Index

Latest Magazine

vol.104 No.3 March 2019

Work-Style Reform in the Construction Industry

The construction industry faces a chronic, ongoing labor shortage, and the situation is expected to grow even more severe with a decrease in the working age population and the retirement of engineers in the future. And with the work-style reform legislation coming into effect in April, a special provision in Article 36 of the Labor Standards Act that previously excluded the construction industry from application will be eliminated, although there is a 5-year moratorium. In other words, the construction industry will see decreased employment in the future, and legal restrictions will also be imposed on working hours.
Given this context, the construction industry is now forced to reassess its working practices and must solve a variety of issues that did not conventionally exist in the industry in the past.
This special feature will focus on work-style reform in construction, outlining trends in the industry, summarizing recommendations from outside experts, and presenting frank opinions from the field and actions being taken to reform working practices in each sector.