What is the future of Japanese construction sites? What is the current situation? Is there a way for them to develop?

Hello, this is Shirokuma.

The way we work on construction sites must continue to evolve.

In this article, I would like to write about the current state of construction sites in Japan and my vision for the future of work.

Summary of the current situation

Working in the construction industry

Most of the workforce at construction sites today is physical labor, and in terms of efficiency, we are one step behind other industries.

Of course, there are tasks at construction sites that can only be done by hand.

However, if we do not reconsider our future working methods, it is highly likely that the construction industry will continue to decline in the future.

As IT technology develops, we need to make an effort to adopt it and develop technology.

Number of workers

The number of people working in the construction industry is decreasing year by year, and the reasons for this include the fact that many people do not have a very good impression of the construction industry and that it takes a long time to pass on skills, so young people do not develop.

I think some people think that the construction industry is tough, dirty, and uncool.

The long working hours and the fact that the work site is outside may give the impression that it is harsh.

Differences in the way site supervisors think

The number of employees at general contractors has increased slightly in recent years, but internally there are many people over 50 years old,

but there are not many mid-career employees and I feel that there are few people of an age who can teach younger people.

In this way, young site supervisors and site supervisors over 50 years old think differently.

However, if digital transformation is stopped for reasons such as being busy while running a site,

the way of working in the construction industry will not change in the future.

Working hours

Currently, the burden on the site is large, and overtime work can be long.

Until now, the hours have been covered by the 36 Agreement and unpaid overtime work, but from 2024 they will have to be reduced to 45 hours.

Realizing this at a construction site where various ways of thinking coexist will likely only increase the burden on workers.

I think people will be forced to cheat by turning off their computers to cover up the time, or by applying for more breaks and working those hours.

I think people will be forced to cheat and reduce their wages.

How to develop?

Increase in the number of workers

It is important to aim for a good image (easy to work in, groundbreaking) for the future of the construction industry,

to streamline work styles by promoting digital transformation,

and to create an environment that is sufficient for nurturing young workers.

By creating an environment where people can be trained and that image,

if more people want to work, the construction industry population will not decline.

Digital transformation in the construction industry

Digital transformation, ICT, IT, and BIM are becoming more and more common in the construction industry these days.

Spreading their use could change the way people work on construction sites in the future.

This would take a long explanation,

so I have written explanatory articles for each of them, so please take a look for reference.

I have written articles about how to use them and future developments.

ICT and IT can be used to achieve digital transformation, but it seems that development has not been fully achieved.

It will be interesting to see how the use of robots on construction sites develops in the future.

Incorporating robotics technology

In the construction industry, where the population is declining,

we must consider using robots in addition to relying on people.

It takes time to select and develop things that can be automated,

but if robots can be mass-produced, it will be possible to resolve labor shortages and reduce labor.

However, there are likely to be issues in terms of safety and quality control.

Using AI

Just as AI is being used in chatGPT and generative AI, it will also be necessary to use it on construction sites.

If a database for the construction industry can be created,

AI can be used to simplify and create early-stage concepts such as creating site conditions and layout plans,

then the workload of general contractors’ employees can be reduced.

Strengthening frontloading

What is frontloading?

It refers to allocating specific activities and resources at the early stages of a plan or project.

This means that important work and decisions for the overall success of the project are made before the project gets underway.

It helps reduce project risk and the chances of problems occurring mid-way through the planning process.

At construction sites, a lot of time is spent creating construction drawings and plans.

In the process, the drawings are created overtime, which increases working hours, as the process and quality are managed.

However, by strengthening front-loading,

it is thought that the burden on the site can be reduced even a little.

In addition, if there are people on site who can use BIM and can specialize in ICT, it will be possible to operate the site more smoothly.

Summary

In this article, I wrote about the current situation of construction sites and how they should develop in the future.

As someone who is actually on site, I get the impression that there are not enough manpower for the number of construction sites.

In addition, how to compensate for the parts that are left entirely to the site will be important for future development, and the current construction sites are in a situation where they have to strengthen front-loading and move towards digital transformation as soon as possible.

It is not the case that simply increasing the number of people will make things run smoothly; the key is how to improve efficiency and use that time to train young people.