About 80% of Transportation and Passenger Companies Feel Impact of Middle East Situation, Experiencing 'Supply Restrictions' and 'Delivery Delays'

Levjob, a career support service for essential workers operated by Leverages Inc. (https://levjob.jp/), conducted a survey titled 'Survey on the Actual Impact on Business and Employment' targeting 221 executives and related personnel from transportation and passenger companies, in response to the surge in crude oil prices caused by the Middle East situation.

〈Survey Summary〉

About 80% of companies feel the impact of the Middle East situation, with experiences of 'supply restrictions' and 'delivery delays'

Approximately 40% of transportation and passenger companies are concerned about business continuity within one year, with profit decline forecasts

Over 40% of companies report impacts on employees due to rising crude oil prices

About 30% of transportation and passenger companies are implementing or negotiating price pass-through, while persistent concerns about 'loss of business relationships' remain

1. About 80% of companies feel the impact of the Middle East situation, with experiences of 'supply restrictions' and 'delivery delays'

When asked about the impact of rising crude oil prices due to the escalating Middle East situation, only 15.8% of companies answered 'no particular impact,' while about 80% reported feeling some impact. The most common specific impact was 'difficulty in generating profits due to rising fuel costs (59.3%)', followed by 'increased driver burden due to enhanced fuel efficiency management (28.5%)'.

Regarding supply restrictions or delivery delays from trading partners, about 30% of companies have already experienced some form of impact, such as 'specific restrictions already in place (13.6%)' or 'requests for delivery delays or quantity limitations (18.1%)'. Additionally, about 20% answered 'we have been informed that restrictions will soon be imposed (19.5%)', indicating that supply chain constraints are expected to expand further.

2. Approximately 40% of transportation and passenger companies are concerned about business continuity within one year, with profit decline forecasts

Regarding the impact on business continuity if crude oil prices continue to rise, about 40% of companies (39.8%) answered that 'significant impacts may occur within one year'. Excluding those who answered 'no expected impact at present (16.3%)' or 'uncertain (10.9%)', it became clear that about 75% of all companies are concerned about future business risks.

For fiscal year 2026 performance forecasts, combining 'expecting significant profit decline (16.3%)' and 'expecting slight profit decline (48.0%)', over 60% of companies indicated a bleak outlook.

3. Over 40% of companies report impacts on employees due to rising crude oil prices

When asked whether rising crude oil prices are affecting employees, over 40% of companies answered 'significant impact (10.9%)' or 'some impact (31.7%)'. The most frequently reported specific impact was 'postponement or reduction of bonuses (43.6%)'.

Regarding impacts on recruitment activities, concerns such as 'unable to increase offered annual salaries (19.9%)' or 'decrease in job applicants (19.0%)' were observed in some cases, but the most common response was 'no particular impact (46.6%)'. This suggests that, despite rising costs, recruitment activities have not yet come to a sudden and widespread halt.

4. About 30% of transportation and passenger companies are implementing or negotiating price pass-through, while persistent concerns about 'loss of business relationships' remain

For future countermeasures, 'negotiating or implementing price pass-through to shippers and passengers (35.3%)' and 'shortening travel distances through delivery route optimization (31.2%)' ranked highest.

Regarding the status of price pass-through implementation, combining 'already implemented (7.7%)' and 'currently in progress (24.0%)', about 30% of companies are already taking action.

On the other hand, reasons for not implementing price pass-through included 'weak price increase trends across the industry (30.3%)' and 'risk of losing business relationships if price negotiations occur (25.3%)'.

〈Comment from Moriyama, Business Leader〉

The surge in crude oil prices due to the escalating Middle East situation has the potential to shake the operations of transportation and passenger companies. This survey revealed that about 40% of companies feel a sense of crisis regarding business continuity within one year, and some companies have already experienced supply restrictions and delivery delays.

Additionally, in some companies, the impact of rising costs is spreading to the 'human resources' aspect. To maintain the employment and livelihoods of essential workers who support Japan's infrastructure, it will be essential for society and the entire industry to work together—not only through public support such as employment adjustment subsidies, but also by appropriately reflecting soaring costs in service prices.

〈Survey Overview〉

Survey Period: May 7–10, 2026

Survey Method: Internet survey

Survey Organizer: Leverages Inc.

Survey Execution: GMO Research & AI Corporation

Valid Responses: 221

Survey Target: Executives and related personnel from transportation and passenger companies aware of the impact of rising crude oil prices due to the Middle East situation

Levjob (https://levjob.jp/)

Levjob is a job placement service for individuals known as 'essential workers'—those engaged in jobs essential for maintaining people's lives and infrastructure. In the field of essential work, labor shortages are becoming severe due to the declining working-age population and aging in Japan. Starting with support for the logistics and construction industries, where labor shortages and long working hours have recently become serious, Levjob aims to realize a society where everyone can live securely through job placement and recruitment support.

Leverages Inc. (https://leverages.jp/)

Head Office: Shibuya Scramble Square, 24F/25F, 24-12 Shibuya 2-chome, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

Representative Director: Tomohide Iwatsuki

Capital: 50 million yen

Established: April 2005

Business Activities: In-house media business, human resources business, systems engineering business, systems consulting business, M&A advisory business, DX business, medical-related business, education-related business

With the mission of solving social issues and continuously pursuing the happiness of all stakeholders, the company conducts cross-industry and cross-border problem-solving in the fields of internet media, human resources, systems engineering, and M&A. Since its founding in 2005, it has maintained profitability, surpassing 142.8 billion yen in annual revenue in fiscal year 2024. Through an all-in-house organizational structure composed of specialists in various fields and a diversified portfolio strategy not limited to specific industries, the company aims to become a globally representative enterprise of the era.