What will happen to construction sites in Japan in the future? What is the current situation? Is there a way to develop it?
Hello, I'm Shirokuma.
The way we work at 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 work style.
table of contents
Organizing the current situation
How to work in the construction industry
Most of the labor at construction sites today is manual labor, and in terms of efficiency,
it is better than other industries.
The current situation is that we are one step behind.
Of course, there are some tasks at construction sites that can only be done by hand.
However, unless we reconsider the way we work in the future, the construction industry will continue to decline.
The possibility is high.
Efforts and technological development are required to incorporate IT technology as it develops.
Number of workers
The number of people working in the construction industry is decreasing year by year.
and the reasons for this are many people do not have a good impression of the construction industry,
and it takes time to pass on skills, so young people
Reasons include not growing.
I think some people have an impression of the construction industry as being tough, dirty, and uncool.
It may be because of the long working hours or because the job site is outside that it gives the impression of being harsh.
Differences in thinking of site supervisors
The number of general contractor employees has increased slightly in recent years, but internally,
many of them are over 50 years old.
I feel that there are not many mid-level players and there are fewer people in the age group who can teach young on-site supervisor .
In this way, young site supervisors and site supervisors over 50 years old have different ways of thinking.
However, if you stop converting to DX for reasons such as being busy while moving the site, the way the construction industry will work in the future will not change.
working time
The current situation is that the burden placed on the workplace is heavy, and overtime work hours may increase.
From 2024, the portion that has been covered by 36 agreements and unpaid overtime will have to be reduced to 45 hours.
It is thought that the burden on workers will only increase as a result of the mixture of different ways of thinking at construction sites.
I think they will be forced to reduce their pay by cutting off their computers and falsifying their time, or requesting extra breaks and working during those hours.
How to develop?
Increase in working people
As for the future of the construction industry, we aim to have a positive image (easy to work in, groundbreaking), streamline work styles by promoting DX, and create a sufficient environment for nurturing young people. is important.
If more people want to work by creating an environment where they can provide guidance and an image of it, the population of the construction industry will not decline.
DX in the construction industry
DX, ICT, IT, and BIM have recently become commonplace in the construction industry.
Widespread use of this technology has the potential to change the way people work at construction sites in the future.
This is a long explanation, so I have written explanatory articles for each, so please refer to them.
I have written articles about how to use it and future developments.
DX can be achieved by incorporating ICT and IT, but I have the impression that progress has not been fully developed.
It will be interesting to see how the use of construction sites develops in the future.
Incorporating robot technology
In the construction industry, where the population is on the decline, we must not only rely on people but also consider the use of robots.
It takes time to select and develop things that can be automated, but if robots can be mass-produced, it will be possible to eliminate labor shortages and reduce labor costs.
However, there may also be issues in terms of safety and quality control.
Utilization of AI
Just as AI is used in chatGPT, generation AI, etc., it will also need to be used at construction sites.
If AI can create a database for the construction industry and use AI to simplify and initialize concepts, such as creating site conditions and layout plans, the workload of general contractor staff will be reduced.
Enhanced front loading
What is front loading?
Refers to the allocation of specific activities and resources at the early stages of planning or a project.
This means making important tasks and decisions for the overall success of the project before it progresses.
It helps reduce project risk and reduces the chance of problems occurring during the planning process.
At construction sites, a lot of time is spent creating construction drawings and plans.
As we manage the process and quality, the drawings must be created overtime, which results in longer working hours.
However, by strengthening front loading, it is possible to reduce the burden on the site even a little.
In addition to this, if we can specialize in people who can use BIM and ICT at the site, it will be possible to run the site more smoothly.
summary
In this article, I wrote about the current state 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 have been left to the workplace will be important for future development, and we must urgently strengthen front loading and promote DX. This is the current construction site.
The key is not to say that things will go smoothly just by multiplying the number of people, but how to improve efficiency and use that time to develop young people.
