[Survey Release] Awareness Survey on 'Blue-Collar and Construction Management Jobs' Among Generation Z / Over 60% Answer 'Cannot Consider it at All as an Employment Destination' / 0% 'Desire Construction Management' Even with a 5 Million Yen Annual Salary in their 20s
An UZUZ survey reveals that over 60% of Gen Z rejects blue-collar jobs. Strikingly, 0% want to be construction managers even for a 5-million-yen salary in their 20s, highlighting a severe crisis that could lead to infrastructure collapse.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 14, 2026 at 19:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 14, 2026 at 10:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 19, 2026 at 19:13 (128h 42m after Collected)
The UZUZ Group [Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Hiroki Okamoto], which operates an employment support business focusing on youth in their 20s, mainly second new graduates, recent graduates, freeters, and new graduates, conducted an "Awareness Survey on Blue-Collar and Construction Management Jobs" targeting Generation Z youth. This fact-finding survey collects and publishes data by periodically conducting questionnaires with its own users.
Background of the Survey
As we enter an era where AI (Artificial Intelligence) is fully integrated, it is predicted that the need for "blue-collar" occupations, which are difficult to replace with AI, will be extremely strong in the future. Among them, the "construction management" role in the construction industry is a prime example of a specialized profession where one can easily aim for high salary and good conditions, fully capable of targeting an annual income of over 5 million yen in one's 20s as a command tower on site.
Furthermore, in recent years, against the backdrop of the "2024 Problem," improvements to the working environment, such as reducing overtime and introducing a two-day weekend system, have been advancing across the industry at an unprecedented speed.
However, are these "high future prospects" and "positive changes in the working environment" reaching Generation Z job seekers?
To highlight the realistic awareness of Generation Z regarding blue-collar jobs, which continue to face severe labor shortages, this survey took up the "construction management" role, which is relatively easy to offer good conditions, as a model case, and conducted an investigation into their employment willingness and image of the job (Valid responses: 457).
Survey Results Summary
- For blue-collar jobs in general, over 60% answered that they "cannot consider them at all as an employment destination, regardless of conditions or job type," revealing a deep-rooted tendency to avoid them among the youth demographic.
- The awareness of the "construction management" job is about 70%, but the percentage of those who know about "positive situational changes" such as improvements in the working environment remained at about 20%.
- Even with conditions allowing them to aim for an annual income of 5 million yen in their 20s, 0% of Generation Z answered that they "desire" a construction management position.
- In all of these questions, no significant differences were seen in the responses between men and women, highlighting that there is a deep-rooted tendency to avoid blue-collar jobs across the entirety of Generation Z, regardless of gender.
Expert Comment
0% desire even with an annual income of 5 million yen. The approaching crisis of infrastructure collapse.
Blue-collar jobs are expected to have a promising future in the AI era, and companies are hurrying to improve their treatment. However, the fact that "working environments are improving" is not fully conveyed to Generation Z job seekers (only 21.9% are aware).
In particular, the fact that even when presented with the relatively good condition of "an annual income of 5 million yen in one's 20s," "Desire it" was 0% and "Do not desire it" reached 75.7%, indicates a deep-rooted psychological resistance among youth that cannot be overturned by simple salary increases.
If this trend of young people turning away from blue-collar and construction industries continues, the impact will not stop at corporate "labor shortages." We will face a "crisis of infrastructure collapse," unable to address the aging of essential infrastructure such as roads, bridges, and water systems, experiencing delays in recovery efforts during disasters, and fundamentally failing to maintain the foundation of Japanese society, including logistics and primary industries.
In the near future, a situation where "infrastructure collapses because there is no one on site to fix it, even though the budget exists" could become a reality.
To avoid this worst-case scenario, radical mindset reform and communication from the industry and companies are necessary. While it is a prerequisite to rush to "whiten" working conditions such as salaries and holidays, it is also necessary to promote the transition to "smart sites (technologization)" using drones and AI, and to wipe out the conventional negative image of the "3Ks" (Kitsui: hard, Kitanai: dirty, Kiken: dangerous).
Furthermore, it is urgently necessary to strongly communicate the pride of being "essential workers" who support society from its roots, and the dynamic rewarding nature unique to fieldwork, in a way that aligns with the values of youth.
Shotaro Kawabata / Senior Managing Director, UZUZ Group
Born in 1986, from Kagoshima. After graduating from high school, he majored in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Kyushu University. After university graduation, he joined the housing equipment manufacturer INAX (now LIXIL). In 2012, he participated in the launch of UZUZ. He has a track record of supporting job hunting for over 2,000 second new graduates, recent graduates, and freeters. Since February 2024, he has been the Representative Director of UZUZ COLLEGE Inc. Currently, he writes a serial on career and human resource development for Toyo Keizai Online.
Q1. What impression do you have of occupations called "blue-collar"? [Single response]
Background of the Survey
As we enter an era where AI (Artificial Intelligence) is fully integrated, it is predicted that the need for "blue-collar" occupations, which are difficult to replace with AI, will be extremely strong in the future. Among them, the "construction management" role in the construction industry is a prime example of a specialized profession where one can easily aim for high salary and good conditions, fully capable of targeting an annual income of over 5 million yen in one's 20s as a command tower on site.
Furthermore, in recent years, against the backdrop of the "2024 Problem," improvements to the working environment, such as reducing overtime and introducing a two-day weekend system, have been advancing across the industry at an unprecedented speed.
However, are these "high future prospects" and "positive changes in the working environment" reaching Generation Z job seekers?
To highlight the realistic awareness of Generation Z regarding blue-collar jobs, which continue to face severe labor shortages, this survey took up the "construction management" role, which is relatively easy to offer good conditions, as a model case, and conducted an investigation into their employment willingness and image of the job (Valid responses: 457).
Survey Results Summary
- For blue-collar jobs in general, over 60% answered that they "cannot consider them at all as an employment destination, regardless of conditions or job type," revealing a deep-rooted tendency to avoid them among the youth demographic.
- The awareness of the "construction management" job is about 70%, but the percentage of those who know about "positive situational changes" such as improvements in the working environment remained at about 20%.
- Even with conditions allowing them to aim for an annual income of 5 million yen in their 20s, 0% of Generation Z answered that they "desire" a construction management position.
- In all of these questions, no significant differences were seen in the responses between men and women, highlighting that there is a deep-rooted tendency to avoid blue-collar jobs across the entirety of Generation Z, regardless of gender.
Expert Comment
0% desire even with an annual income of 5 million yen. The approaching crisis of infrastructure collapse.
Blue-collar jobs are expected to have a promising future in the AI era, and companies are hurrying to improve their treatment. However, the fact that "working environments are improving" is not fully conveyed to Generation Z job seekers (only 21.9% are aware).
In particular, the fact that even when presented with the relatively good condition of "an annual income of 5 million yen in one's 20s," "Desire it" was 0% and "Do not desire it" reached 75.7%, indicates a deep-rooted psychological resistance among youth that cannot be overturned by simple salary increases.
If this trend of young people turning away from blue-collar and construction industries continues, the impact will not stop at corporate "labor shortages." We will face a "crisis of infrastructure collapse," unable to address the aging of essential infrastructure such as roads, bridges, and water systems, experiencing delays in recovery efforts during disasters, and fundamentally failing to maintain the foundation of Japanese society, including logistics and primary industries.
In the near future, a situation where "infrastructure collapses because there is no one on site to fix it, even though the budget exists" could become a reality.
To avoid this worst-case scenario, radical mindset reform and communication from the industry and companies are necessary. While it is a prerequisite to rush to "whiten" working conditions such as salaries and holidays, it is also necessary to promote the transition to "smart sites (technologization)" using drones and AI, and to wipe out the conventional negative image of the "3Ks" (Kitsui: hard, Kitanai: dirty, Kiken: dangerous).
Furthermore, it is urgently necessary to strongly communicate the pride of being "essential workers" who support society from its roots, and the dynamic rewarding nature unique to fieldwork, in a way that aligns with the values of youth.
Shotaro Kawabata / Senior Managing Director, UZUZ Group
Born in 1986, from Kagoshima. After graduating from high school, he majored in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Kyushu University. After university graduation, he joined the housing equipment manufacturer INAX (now LIXIL). In 2012, he participated in the launch of UZUZ. He has a track record of supporting job hunting for over 2,000 second new graduates, recent graduates, and freeters. Since February 2024, he has been the Representative Director of UZUZ COLLEGE Inc. Currently, he writes a serial on career and human resource development for Toyo Keizai Online.
Q1. What impression do you have of occupations called "blue-collar"? [Single response]