![\"The](\"https:\/\/norimen.net\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/929aa83acf185ef491c4022227c166bc.jpg\")
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Hello, everyone.<\/p>\n
This is Enta.<\/p>\n
I went to get a haircut the other day. (Every month, lol.)<\/p>\n
The barbershop I always go to is an old-school place run by just one guy, but,<\/p>\n
While I was getting my hair cut and chatting about this and that, the conversation ended up overlapping a lot with the construction industry, lol.<\/p>\n
\"In a few decades or so, barbers will probably be a thing of the past.\"<\/p>\n
He just mutters that under his breath, lol.<\/p>\n
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This wasn't just a matter of perception\u2014the numbers actually backed it up.<\/p>\n
According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare\u2019s Report on Public Health Administration (Reiwa 6),<\/p>\n
Barber shops across the country are107,995 homes<\/strong>...down by 2,302 units (\u25b22.1%) from the previous year, finally reaching 100,000 units...<\/p>\n At its peak in Showa 50 (the year we were born)140,000 units<\/strong>Although it had remained stable, it has continued to decline since 2003, falling from 110,000 units to 100,000 units in the last six years alone.<\/p>\n The number of barbers has also continued to decline, standing at 227,000 as of 2015. In 2003, there were 250,000, soA decrease of approximately 101 TP3T over 12 years<\/strong><\/span> What's more, the number of new license holders is plummeting year by year, and there are no successors coming up through the ranks.<\/p>\n So, my dad says,<\/p>\n \"It's not like the whole industry is taking any measures, and young people aren't joining. The numbers are just going to keep dropping.\"<\/p>\n \u2026\u2026Isn't that exactly what our industry is like?<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Have you heard about the number of licensed construction companies?<\/p>\n According to an announcement by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (as of the end of March Reiwa 7), the current number of licensed construction companies is483,700 businesses<\/strong>. At first glance, it seems like a lot, but at its peak in Heisei 12 (2000),600,980 businesses<\/strong>That was it.<\/p>\n In other words, from the peak...Approximately 117,000 businesses (\u25b219.51 TP3T)<\/strong><\/span>It's decreasing.<\/p>\n Some of you might be thinking, \u201cHaven\u2019t they been increasing again lately?\u201d but the rise over the past few years is simply due to a temporary lull in business closures\u2014it doesn\u2019t mean there\u2019s been an increase in new entrants.<\/p>\n Structurally, the process is exactly the same as in the barbering industry.<\/p>\n As for the number of workers, the construction industry workforce has declined from a peak of 6.85 million in Heisei 9 to, in Reiwa 6,4.77 million people<\/strong>It's dropped that low (as I mentioned in my previous post)<\/p>\n That's a decrease of about 301 TP3T.<\/p>\n If we narrow it down to slope construction, the numbers will be even more\u53b3\u3057\u3044\u2014I\u2019m sure everyone here has a gut feeling about that from their on-site experience.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Issues in the Barbering Industry<\/p>\n \u30fbThere are many older business owners, and few new entrants Don't you think the construction industry has exactly the same structure?<\/p>\n According to data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, construction workers aged 60 and older account for approximately25.8%<\/strong>account for [...], and the majority of them are expected to retire in 10 years.<\/p>\n On the other hand, those aged 29 and under account for about12%<\/strong>That's the only one!!!<\/p>\n Income is low, and expenses are high. It's simple subtraction.<\/p>\n The decline in the number of barbers and the decline in the number of slope maintenance workers aren't entirely separate issues, and<\/p>\n \"The industry will continue to exist in name, but there will be no one left to carry it on.\"<\/strong>It's exactly the same problem, isn't it?<\/p>\n Sometimes you come across companies where there\u2019s no one in their huge office, right!? ...<\/p>\n Even companies that used to be bustling...<\/p>\n It's kind of lonely, isn't it? :;<\/p>\n <\/p>\n While getting a haircut, this thought suddenly crossed my mind.<\/p>\n \"Will the number of construction business license categories be reduced eventually?\"<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Currently, construction business licenses are divided into 29 categories.<\/p>\n So, if the number of businesses continues to decline, there will be industries where there are virtually no companies with the necessary licenses.<\/p>\n Apparently, there are only 2,261 \u201cwell-drilling contractors\u201d left nationwide lol (Well, our company is one of them, though lol).<\/p>\n If that happens, the idea of \u201chandling everything under a single civil engineering contract\u201d might start to seem more realistic, don\u2019t you think?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \"General civil engineering work\" is defined as \"construction work carried out under comprehensive planning, supervision, and coordination,\" and<\/p>\n A license that typically authorizes the holder to act as a general contractor and coordinate multiple specialized construction projects.<\/p>\n Still, if the absolute number of licensed businesses continues to decline, I suppose it\u2019s only natural that such discussions would arise.<\/p>\n It\u2019s the same in the barbering industry\u2014as the number of barber shops keeps dropping, there\u2019s a growing sentiment that says, \u201cWhy not just merge them with beauty salons?\u201d<\/p>\n In fact, I hear there are now 381 facilities that offer both barbering and beauty services, and that number keeps setting new records... (This reflects the trend toward industry consolidation.) It\u2019s all about M&A, isn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The guy at the barbershop said this.<\/p>\n \"It's not like the industry as a whole is doing anything about it; it'll just naturally go down on its own.\"<\/p>\n I've totally given up lol<\/p>\n That's the real sentiment on the ground, isn't it?<\/p>\n With my busy schedule, I can\u2019t shoulder the problems facing the entire industry all by myself, and even if I wanted to take action, I don\u2019t know what to do. That\u2019s the honest truth.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The same goes for the construction industry: if you assume that \u201csomeone else will take care of it,\u201d you\u2019ll suddenly find yourself in a situation where you have work but no workers.<\/p>\n We just have to start with what we can do on our own.<\/p>\n Will the industry disappear? Or will it merge with another? I\u2019m not sure, but,<\/p>\n \"Whether there will be anyone left who can work in that industry\"<\/strong>Well, that will depend on what we do from here on out, won't it?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n See you later.<\/small><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u7686\u3055\u3093\u3053\u3093\u306b\u3061\u306f\u3002 \u30a8\u30f3\u30bf\u3067\u3059\u3002 \u5148\u65e5\u3001\u6563\u9aea\u306b\u884c\u3063\u3066\u304d\u305f\u3093\u3067\u3059\u3088\u3002\uff08\u6bce\u6708\uff57\uff09 \u79c1\u304c\u3044\u3064\u3082\u884c\u304f\u7406\u5bb9\u5ba4\u3001\u6614\u306a\u304c\u3089\u306e\u89aa\u7236\u3055\u3093\u304c\u4e00\u4eba\u3067\u3084\u3063\u3066\u308b\u5e97\u306a\u3093\u3067\u3059\u3051\u3069\u3001 \u30ab\u30c3\u30c8\u3057\u3066\u3082\u3089\u3044\u306a\u304c\u3089\u3044\u308d\u3044\u308d\u558b\u3063\u3066\u305f\u3089\u3001\u3081\u3061\u3083\u304f\u3061\u3083\u5efa\u8a2d\u696d\u3068\u91cd\u306a\u308b\u8a71\u306b\u306a\u308a\u307e\u3057\u3066\uff57 \u300c\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":58802,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[14238],"class_list":["post-58792","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-others","tag-14238"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\n(Source: Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare materials\u2014\u201cCurrent Status and Trends in the Barber Licensing System\u201d)
\nIt's related to the construction industry.<\/p>\n
\n![\"Successor\"](\"https:\/\/norimen.net\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Gemini_Generated_Image_ciishgciishgciis.jpg\")
<\/h2>\nThe construction industry follows the same pattern<\/h2>\n
\nEven if the industry survives, there won\u2019t be anyone left to work in it.<\/h2>\n
![\"Labor](\"https:\/\/norimen.net\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Gemini_Generated_Image_azplyxazplyxazpl.jpg\")
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\n\u30fbThere is no system in place across the industry to train successors
\n\u30fbMost shops are independently owned (approximately 92% of barbershops are run by sole proprietors), making it difficult to share information
\n\u30fbEven the people doing it just shrug it off with a \u201cWell, what can you do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\nConstruction business licenses\u2014I wonder if they\u2019ll be consolidated or phased out eventually.<\/h2>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/norimen.net\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/b53d39f0a4daf887f9d7d06c4b81d24f.jpg\")
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\nIf we don't start taking measures \"right now,\" it'll be too late (or is it already too late?).<\/h2>\n
![\"Technology](\"https:\/\/norimen.net\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/818fcd82121185e071febbb6d9fe2c02.jpg\")
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