Repair Market Grows at Approx. 10% Annually, Yet Lacks Technicians: Haupro Launches Practical Home Appliance Repair Training Aiming for 10M Yen Annual Income Across 5 Bases Nationwide
Haupro, operated by Shigotonin Co., Ltd., is launching practical training across 5 nationwide locations where beginners can learn air conditioner and washing machine repair skills in as little as 2 days. While the repair market is growing at a CAGR of roughly 10%, a severe shortage of technicians persists due to an aging workforce. This program aims to resolve the industry's structural issues by training technicians aiming for an annual income of 10 million yen.
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- 📰 Published: May 22, 2026 at 22:10
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Shigotonin Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Toshihiko Tsuruhara), which operates the specialized visiting service academy "Haupro," will launch a "Practical Home Appliance Repair Training" program across five locations nationwide: Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, Nagoya, and Sapporo. The program enables individuals with no prior experience to acquire repair skills for air conditioners and washing machines in as little as two days.
The global home appliance repair and maintenance market continues to expand at a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of approximately 10%. Domestically, annual shipments of air conditioners have surpassed 10 million units, indicating that the latent demand for repair services has reached an unprecedented scale.
However, the technicians meeting this demand are aging, and the repair schools once operated by manufacturers have almost entirely disappeared.
Haupro will train technicians nationwide who can aim for an annual income of 10 million yen through a "dual-wielding" approach of air conditioners and washing machines. This is achieved via a training program that provides not only a practical curriculum using actual appliances but also end-to-end support, including job referrals, parts sourcing routes, and customer acquisition assistance.
A Growing Market with an Approx. 10% CAGR and No One to Bear the Load: Structural Issues in the Home Appliance Repair Industry
The home appliance repair and maintenance market is expected to grow, driven by an increasing consumer need to "repair and keep using" rather than defaulting to replacement. According to market research by 360iResearch, the global home appliance repair and maintenance market is projected to expand from USD 887.54 million in 2025 to USD 1,645.43 million in 2032.
It is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 9.21% between 2026 and 2032.
(Source: 360iResearch
https://www.360iresearch.com/library/intelligence/home-appliance-repair-maintenance-service )
Looking domestically, data also corroborates this demand expansion. According to a news release by the Japan Electrical Manufacturers' Association (JEMA), domestic shipments of room air conditioners in fiscal 2025 were 10,029,000 units (10.029 million units, 106.5% of the previous year).
Boosted by record summer heatwaves and municipal subsidies, it marked the second time since fiscal 2020 that the annual total exceeded 10 million units. (Source: JEMA "Domestic Shipment Results for Consumer Electrical Appliances for March 2026 and Fiscal 2025"
https://www.jema-net.or.jp/stat/evefa20000004jb4-att/2603ds-comment.pdf )
Furthermore, according to the Cabinet Office's "Consumer Confidence Survey" (conducted in March, Reiwa 7/2025), the average period of use for households replacing room air conditioners is 14.2 years, and the most common reason for replacement is "breakdown" at 72.1%. An immense volume of shipped air conditioners will force consumers to decide whether to "repair or replace" right around the 10-year mark. (Source: Cabinet Office Consumer Confidence Survey Conducted March Reiwa 7
https://www.esri.cao.go.jp/jp/stat/shouhi/honbun202503.pdf )
Rising prices also act as a catalyst pushing repair demand. The Consumer Price Index by the Statistics Bureau of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications shows the average comprehensive index for 2025 reached 111.9 (with 2020 as 100), marking a 3.2% year-on-year increase.
In cases where repair costs are lower than purchasing new items, the option to "repair and keep using" has become far more realistic for consumers. (Source: Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Consumer Price Index 2025 Average
https://www.stat.go.jp/data/cpi/sokuhou/nen/index-z.html )
However, the supply of technicians to support this growing market is not keeping up.
Retiring Veterans, Training Costs, and a Lack of Places to Learn: 3 Crises Looming Over the Repair Industry
The shortage of repair technicians is not an issue exclusive to the home appliance repair industry.
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's (METI) "White Paper on Manufacturing Industries 2024" highlights that the number of employed persons aged 34 and under in the manufacturing sector
decreased from 3.84 million in 2002 to 2.59 million in 2023, whereas the number of employed persons aged 65 and over increased from 580,000 in 2002 to 880,000 in 2023.
(Source: METI "White Paper on Manufacturing Industries 2024" https://www.meti.go.jp/report/whitepaper/mono/2024/pdf/honbun_1_2_1.pdf )
This trend of an aging workforce alongside a declining younger generation directly overlaps with the front lines of home appliance repair. Including air conditioner inverter controls, washing machine heat pump structures, circuit board diagnostics, refrigerant handling, and specification differences between manufacturers,
the skills required for modern home appliance repair are becoming more complex every year.
Self-taught acquisition is highly difficult, and venues to learn systematically using actual machines are also limited.
Despite growing demand, technicians are decreasing, training takes time, and places to learn are also
The global home appliance repair and maintenance market continues to expand at a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of approximately 10%. Domestically, annual shipments of air conditioners have surpassed 10 million units, indicating that the latent demand for repair services has reached an unprecedented scale.
However, the technicians meeting this demand are aging, and the repair schools once operated by manufacturers have almost entirely disappeared.
Haupro will train technicians nationwide who can aim for an annual income of 10 million yen through a "dual-wielding" approach of air conditioners and washing machines. This is achieved via a training program that provides not only a practical curriculum using actual appliances but also end-to-end support, including job referrals, parts sourcing routes, and customer acquisition assistance.
A Growing Market with an Approx. 10% CAGR and No One to Bear the Load: Structural Issues in the Home Appliance Repair Industry
The home appliance repair and maintenance market is expected to grow, driven by an increasing consumer need to "repair and keep using" rather than defaulting to replacement. According to market research by 360iResearch, the global home appliance repair and maintenance market is projected to expand from USD 887.54 million in 2025 to USD 1,645.43 million in 2032.
It is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 9.21% between 2026 and 2032.
(Source: 360iResearch
https://www.360iresearch.com/library/intelligence/home-appliance-repair-maintenance-service )
Looking domestically, data also corroborates this demand expansion. According to a news release by the Japan Electrical Manufacturers' Association (JEMA), domestic shipments of room air conditioners in fiscal 2025 were 10,029,000 units (10.029 million units, 106.5% of the previous year).
Boosted by record summer heatwaves and municipal subsidies, it marked the second time since fiscal 2020 that the annual total exceeded 10 million units. (Source: JEMA "Domestic Shipment Results for Consumer Electrical Appliances for March 2026 and Fiscal 2025"
https://www.jema-net.or.jp/stat/evefa20000004jb4-att/2603ds-comment.pdf )
Furthermore, according to the Cabinet Office's "Consumer Confidence Survey" (conducted in March, Reiwa 7/2025), the average period of use for households replacing room air conditioners is 14.2 years, and the most common reason for replacement is "breakdown" at 72.1%. An immense volume of shipped air conditioners will force consumers to decide whether to "repair or replace" right around the 10-year mark. (Source: Cabinet Office Consumer Confidence Survey Conducted March Reiwa 7
https://www.esri.cao.go.jp/jp/stat/shouhi/honbun202503.pdf )
Rising prices also act as a catalyst pushing repair demand. The Consumer Price Index by the Statistics Bureau of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications shows the average comprehensive index for 2025 reached 111.9 (with 2020 as 100), marking a 3.2% year-on-year increase.
In cases where repair costs are lower than purchasing new items, the option to "repair and keep using" has become far more realistic for consumers. (Source: Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Consumer Price Index 2025 Average
https://www.stat.go.jp/data/cpi/sokuhou/nen/index-z.html )
However, the supply of technicians to support this growing market is not keeping up.
Retiring Veterans, Training Costs, and a Lack of Places to Learn: 3 Crises Looming Over the Repair Industry
The shortage of repair technicians is not an issue exclusive to the home appliance repair industry.
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's (METI) "White Paper on Manufacturing Industries 2024" highlights that the number of employed persons aged 34 and under in the manufacturing sector
decreased from 3.84 million in 2002 to 2.59 million in 2023, whereas the number of employed persons aged 65 and over increased from 580,000 in 2002 to 880,000 in 2023.
(Source: METI "White Paper on Manufacturing Industries 2024" https://www.meti.go.jp/report/whitepaper/mono/2024/pdf/honbun_1_2_1.pdf )
This trend of an aging workforce alongside a declining younger generation directly overlaps with the front lines of home appliance repair. Including air conditioner inverter controls, washing machine heat pump structures, circuit board diagnostics, refrigerant handling, and specification differences between manufacturers,
the skills required for modern home appliance repair are becoming more complex every year.
Self-taught acquisition is highly difficult, and venues to learn systematically using actual machines are also limited.
Despite growing demand, technicians are decreasing, training takes time, and places to learn are also
FAQ
ハウプロの「家電修理 実践研修」の特徴は何ですか？
未経験から最短2日間でエアコンと洗濯機の修理技術を実機で学べる点です。また、案件紹介、部品仕入れルート、集客支援まで一貫してサポートします。
家電修理市場の成長性はどの程度予測されていますか？
360iResearchの予測では、世界の家電修理・保守市場は2025年の8億8,754万米ドルから2032年には16億4,543万米ドルへ拡大し、CAGR（年平均成長率）9.21%で成長するとされています。
なぜ現在、家電修理の技術者が不足しているのですか？
ベテラン技術者の高齢化と引退が進んでいることや、かつてメーカーが運営していた修理学校がほぼ姿を消したためです。
消費者が「修理して使い続ける」ことを選ぶ理由は何ですか？
物価上昇によって新品購入より修理費用が抑えられる現実的な選択肢となっていることや、エアコンの買い替え理由の最多（72.1%）が「故障」によるものであるためです。
現代の家電修理技術の習得が難しい理由は何ですか？
エアコンのインバーター制御や洗濯機のヒートポンプ構造、基板診断など、求められるスキルが年々複合化しており、独学が難しく実機で学べる場も限られているためです。