Hello, everyone

This is Enta.

Ever since my article was featured on Google News recently, I’ve been getting all sorts of critical comments lol

After all, they say salaries haven't gone up, but at our company, the national target is

We implemented wage increases of “roughly 2% or more” in 2021 and “roughly 3%” in 2022. (We simply followed the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism’s instructions.)

I posted this in the same way for our technical interns as well.

This is strictly just our family's situation.

I don't know anything about your companies, lol.

However, this wage increase actually originated with the prime contractor. (They’ve had target figures for the past few years, and it’s become a factor for bonus points, right?)

Subcontractors aren't usually expected to go that far, but we did.

It's because I think it's strange that, even though contract fees are gradually increasing, employee salaries aren't going up.

 

Is the government trying to get major companies to release their retained earnings? Or...

I don't know if they actually want to raise wages for us lower-income workers, though.

But we can't just raise salaries that much.

I think that's true for every company.

As we increase productivity and invest in equipment, salaries will gradually rise afterward.

Little by little.

I'm not sure if construction DX is actually boosting productivity, though lol

The construction company’s capital expenditures are also funded by loans taken out by the company (whose executives serve as joint guarantors).

It seems some people think companies are just squeezing out profits, but the owners of small and medium-sized, struggling independent contractor firms are really struggling to make ends meet, you know.

Plus, for a company our size—with hundreds of millions of employees—we’re constantly moving money around more than we’re keeping it as retained earnings, so it’s really tough, lol.

So, we take running costs and other factors into account when determining salaries.

Well, I guess it's that time of year again when we have those kinds of discussions...
Of course, it’s a different story for companies that operate entirely with manual labor and no machinery.

 

No matter what people say about whether salaries are going up or not, factors such as the local area, the company's situation, and regional characteristics all come into play.

You'll see what I mean when you look at the labor cost rate, right?
(Aichi is one of the most expensive regions in the country.)

And that person's skills, qualifications, and character are also taken into account.

The point is, you can't generalize.

People often say, “It’s expensive compared to places around here, but it’s cheap compared to the big chains, right?”

It makes a huge difference depending on which prefecture you're basing it on—like Tokyo versus Kagoshima.

So there’s no way I could talk about some ridiculous stuff like how much my salary went up, and “Show me the numbers” or whatever???

"What's your basis for that, lol? How much did it go up?? (Are you a kid??)"

My senior colleagues from my old company have seen their salaries go up quite a bit. (I heard this directly from them.)

As I mentioned in an article somewhere before, an acquaintance of mine who is the same age as me (47) is,

As a construction supervisor, my salary is over 10 million. (It went up last year too, lol.)

But it's a grueling job, and I'm working incredibly hard.

And he has an incredible number of certifications.

He's a wonderful person, too.

I think people who say that deserve to get a lot.

I think that’s because I’m working that hard and contributing to the company.

Recently, the two-day weekend system has been gradually implemented; although it currently covers only about 30% of the construction industry, it seems to be having a positive effect. (Look it up online for the source, lol.)

This is strictly my ownSubjectivityHowever, when it comes to the balance between salary and skills, I believe skills should always come first.

For example, salary is 4 and skills are 6.

If the split is 3:7, the salary is too low, so I think you should either negotiate or consider looking into opportunities at other companies (changing jobs).

But in reality, even if it were 5:5, that’d be fine, but I feel like people whose pay is high relative to their skills—say, at a 6:4 ratio—tend to complain lol (just my opinion).

 

Ultimately, since these evaluations are conducted by the company and others, I think they’re actually carried out fairly.

That's because when the work-life balance is off, people often leave that company.

If he (or she) is someone the company can’t do without, the company will try to negotiate.

What about you all?

What do you think of me?

It would be pretty tough if your starting point is low, though...

If your self-assessment seems to be too far off, I think you should negotiate with the company.

I think it's time for Japanese people to start negotiating, too. (Japanese people aren't very good at that kind of thing, lol.)

As a bargaining chip (in civil engineering)

1. Covers all types of construction work (in-house specialists)
2. Capable of construction management
3. Completed all work for the general contractor on my own
4. Completed all subcontracted work single-handedly
5. Able to read blueprints
6. Able to read design documents
7. Able to read design calculations
8. Proficient in CAD
9. Able to design to a certain extent
10. Can be calculated
11. Able to prepare estimates and negotiate with the general contractor
12. Trying something new
13. I have a license.
14. Leading as a Foreman
15. Able to handle problems accurately
16. Able to prepare an operating budget and manage costs
17. Able to manage the production process
18. Able to train subordinates
19. Able to manage the entire operation
20. Can repair machinery

 

I think there are plenty of points we can use in negotiations, and so on.

Labor costs have been rising every year, but the increase is pretty slow, isn't it?

You can't turn around an entire industry or a company all at once.

The general contractor makes a profit, the first-tier subcontractor makes a profit, and the second-tier subcontractor makes a profit.

It's all about the order.

We’re supposed to be making so much profit this quarter, so why aren’t we getting a bonus⁉︎

Some people might think that (I used to feel that way too, so I totally get it)

Any temporary profits will be offset by past losses and declines in sales.

That's why I can't spend money that's just for the short term. (I need to look further ahead.)

A company can survive because money (blood) is flowing through it.

The moment that’s gone, the company will grind to a halt and die.

That's why I try to make sure that doesn't happen, you know?

Some people say that since it’s someone else’s business (another company), it might as well go out of business, but,

It's just people being people, so I'd rather you just leave me alone lol

It is hard to polish a gem of harsh wordsThere's a saying that goes like that, so be careful lol

I want to raise our employees' salaries as much as possible.

The same applies to technical interns. (Some interns earn more than Japanese workers.)

And I’d rather invest in our employees and equipment than keep profits on hand.

We're investing a lot in machinery right now, lol (I'm sure everyone knows that, lol)

The reason is that I can't do my job without the machine, lol.

The point is: People matter! Machines matter, too!

After all, as long as I have the equipment, I can do the work.

I’ve written so candidly about my values regarding money for the readers of this blog, but,

Of course, whether or not you relate to it is entirely up to you, so it doesn't really matter.

The only people I want to protect are the employees who are following me!

I try to run the company with my employees' best interests in mind, so

To be honest, I couldn't care less what outsiders have to say, lol.
(I think people who know me will laugh at this, lol)

You're the one who chose this situation, aren't you? (Me too.)

So it’s up to us to break through—let’s break through that environment! Let’s break through the way things are right now!

Let's make the civil engineering and construction industries even better!!

 

See you later

P.S. Dirty work, rock-bottom pay, long hours, slave labor, how many months’ worth of work does it take to get a bonus, few days off,

It says that a lot, but,

There are people who work in civil engineering because they enjoy it, and the situation is gradually improving. (Really, just little by little.)

Sure, the conditions used to be incredibly poor, but they still supported everyone’s daily lives (infrastructure).

Right now, there are a lot of people—including both general contractors and subcontractors—who are working hard on the infrastructure with limited staff to make sure no complaints arise.

Especially since we slope contractors work on infrastructure projects.

Once they're gone, the roads will become bumpy, mudslides will occur, and the roads will be closed (and this trend will only accelerate in the future).

We don't force anyone who doesn't want to work to do so, and the same goes for technical interns.

(We recruit people from various countries and bring them here; they're migrant workers. That's only natural.)

 

So, could you please support me a little more?

As long as you're willing to support me, I can handle as much constructive criticism as you want.

Of course, there are some idiots out there who go, “Huh? Huh? You wanna fight? Come on, then!” lol (It’s the kind of industry that caters to those kinds of idiots, after all.)

Even so, please continue to support us and offer your constructive criticism.

So I can get a better salary. So my benefits can improve. So I can get more time off lol

So that careers in the construction industry can become more appealing. (Personally, I think that if more people knew about it, they’d realize it’s the best profession for creating great things—just my opinion, lol.)

Please explain it in a way even a dummy can understand! lol

I believe that doing so will lead to a brighter future for the construction industry.

(If you're the type who says, "I don't know anything about that," then you don't have to come, and if you're the kind of person with a narrow-minded view who says, "It used to be like this," then you don't have to come either ^^)