Matsushin Implements "Real Wage Increase" Work Style Reform in the Construction Industry
Matsushin Co., Ltd. announced a work style reform effective April 2026, reducing working hours without cutting pay. The reform includes a complete two-day workweek for female office workers and shorter hours for male staff, addressing the industry's severe overtime issues.
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- 📰 Published: April 3, 2026 at 23:34
- 🔍 Collected: April 3, 2026 at 17:10
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 21, 2026 at 03:32 (418h 22m after Collected)
Since its establishment in 1974, Matsushin Co., Ltd. (Yashio City, Saitama Prefecture: President Tetsuya Osada), which has provided rebar construction solutions, implemented a work style reform starting April 1, 2026. As part of this reform, the company introduced a complete two-day workweek system for female office workers and reduced the daily working hours of male employees, including office staff and site supervisors (banto), by up to about 1.5 hours.
While long working hours remain a significant issue in the construction industry, reducing working hours is synonymous with a real wage increase and typically brings the challenge of increased fixed costs for a company. However, this initiative directly addresses that premise and is characterized by its aim to balance shorter hours with improved productivity through prior IT skill training and the reviewing of operational design.
## Background of Implementation: Delayed Working Hours in the Construction Industry
The "upper limit regulation on overtime work" stipulated for general companies was applied to the construction industry starting in April 2024. Consequently, companies have been required to take concrete measures regarding long working hours and insufficient days off, which have been long-standing issues. On the other hand, in the construction industry, due to an aging workforce and labor shortages, even when systems are introduced, on-site operations often cannot keep up. As of 2020, compared to the average of all industries, long working hours exceeding 360 hours per year were common. Furthermore, it has been reported that less than 20% of companies have achieved 8 days off in 4 weeks, and 45.2% have 4 or fewer days off in 4 weeks, meaning the industry has failed to realize the two-day workweek that has become standard in other industries. (*1)
The recent initiative introduced by our company—"Transitioning female office workers to a complete two-day workweek and reducing male employees' working hours by about 1.5 hours"—was implemented to figure out how we could tackle this issue while maintaining the current workforce without reducing employees' salaries.
(*1: Current Status and Issues Surrounding the Construction Industry - Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism)
## Policy Details: Complete Two-Day Workweek for Female Office Workers, Approx. 1.5-Hour Reduction for Male Employees
The targets are all employees excluding on-site construction workers (100% full-time employees). It is expected that female office workers will see a reduction of about 20-25 hours in monthly working hours, and male employees will see a reduction of about 30 hours per month. (Calculated based on 20 working days per month)
**● Female Office Workers: Approx. 240-300 hours/year reduction**
- Working hours: 9:00-17:15 -> 9:00-17:00 (15 min reduction/day)
- Saturday work (2-3 times/month) -> Transition to complete two-day workweek
**● Male Employees (Office/Supervisors): Approx. 360 hours/year reduction**
- Working hours: 7:30-18:30 -> 8:00-17:30 (1.5h reduction/day)
● Supplementary Information
- On-site construction workers (craftsmen) will continue to work 8:00-17:00 as before.
While long working hours remain a significant issue in the construction industry, reducing working hours is synonymous with a real wage increase and typically brings the challenge of increased fixed costs for a company. However, this initiative directly addresses that premise and is characterized by its aim to balance shorter hours with improved productivity through prior IT skill training and the reviewing of operational design.
## Background of Implementation: Delayed Working Hours in the Construction Industry
The "upper limit regulation on overtime work" stipulated for general companies was applied to the construction industry starting in April 2024. Consequently, companies have been required to take concrete measures regarding long working hours and insufficient days off, which have been long-standing issues. On the other hand, in the construction industry, due to an aging workforce and labor shortages, even when systems are introduced, on-site operations often cannot keep up. As of 2020, compared to the average of all industries, long working hours exceeding 360 hours per year were common. Furthermore, it has been reported that less than 20% of companies have achieved 8 days off in 4 weeks, and 45.2% have 4 or fewer days off in 4 weeks, meaning the industry has failed to realize the two-day workweek that has become standard in other industries. (*1)
The recent initiative introduced by our company—"Transitioning female office workers to a complete two-day workweek and reducing male employees' working hours by about 1.5 hours"—was implemented to figure out how we could tackle this issue while maintaining the current workforce without reducing employees' salaries.
(*1: Current Status and Issues Surrounding the Construction Industry - Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism)
## Policy Details: Complete Two-Day Workweek for Female Office Workers, Approx. 1.5-Hour Reduction for Male Employees
The targets are all employees excluding on-site construction workers (100% full-time employees). It is expected that female office workers will see a reduction of about 20-25 hours in monthly working hours, and male employees will see a reduction of about 30 hours per month. (Calculated based on 20 working days per month)
**● Female Office Workers: Approx. 240-300 hours/year reduction**
- Working hours: 9:00-17:15 -> 9:00-17:00 (15 min reduction/day)
- Saturday work (2-3 times/month) -> Transition to complete two-day workweek
**● Male Employees (Office/Supervisors): Approx. 360 hours/year reduction**
- Working hours: 7:30-18:30 -> 8:00-17:30 (1.5h reduction/day)
● Supplementary Information
- On-site construction workers (craftsmen) will continue to work 8:00-17:00 as before.