Shortage of construction craft workers has seen a trend toward improvement, a survey of Infrastructure Ministry revealed. The shortage rate of eight major trades in the industry have declined for consecutive four months since August 2014. The fact that the improving wage is increasing the number of employment lays in the background of the trend, says an expert of a research institute.

The ministry has surveyed 3,000 construction firms every month since 1979, reporting the shortage rate of eight craft jobs such as a carpenter, a plasterer, a rebar worker and a plumber. Following the 34 month long supply surplus during the period from January 2008 to August 2010, construction job openings exceeded the supply from July 2011 to November 2014. Labor shortage was triggered by construction investment surge after the 2011 East Japan earthquake. Public construction spending hike and improvement of private real estate sector have also accelerated the shortfall.

Minister Akihiro Ota requested the private sector to raise the salary of trade workers, while the labor unit price of public works was raised by a large amount in fiscal 2013. A ministry official considers that improvement of labor environment is calling the workers who stepped out of the industry back to construction jobs. (2015/01/13)