Author: Japan Reacts Editorial

In the world of “tobi” scaffolders — the tradespeople who erect and dismantle scaffolding at construction sites — bankruptcies are on pace to hit a record high. According to Tokyo Shoko Research, bankruptcies among scaffolding contractors are set to top 100 in a single year for the first time in 16 years, and the trend shows no sign of slowing despite a severe labor shortage reflected in a job-openings-to-applicants ratio of 7.94. Beyond the difficulty of hiring, the nature of a skilled trade that takes years to master is proving to be a barrier to training the next generation. On 5channel, users debated whether wages match the harshness of the work, along with women’s participation in the trade, reliance on foreign workers, and generational differences in values.

Published 9/23 (Wed) 7:04 AM

Tokyo Shoko Research

Headwinds are blowing through the world of tobi scaffolders, often called the “stars of the construction site.” Indispensable for everything from scaffolding to steel framing and support-post work, the trade is now seeing bankruptcies at a record pace. In an industry already gripped by a severe labor shortage — with a job-openings-to-applicants ratio of 7.94 — the difficulty of hiring, combined with the high skill and experience required, is holding back the training of young workers. Tokyo Shoko Research (TSR) analyzed bankruptcies in the scaffolding contracting business.

Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here

168AnonymousSep 23, 2026 13:48

"There's always someone else to replace you" — I wonder if any companies still say that.

174AnonymousSep 23, 2026 13:50

Re: #168
Well, that hasn't changed since forever and won't going forward either.

*This article was compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5channel (Newsplus) thread “[Young People Turning Away from Tobi Work] Scaffolding Contractors Struggling, Bankruptcies on Pace for Record High — Over 100 for First Time in 16 Years, Worker Shortage and Cost Pressures the Sticking Points.”

The government rolled out a 1-point cut to the consumption tax on groceries as a countermeasure against rising prices, but a Teikoku Databank survey of roughly 10,000 companies found that 54.5% said the cut “will not lead to economic revitalization.” Only 18% said it “will lead to revitalization.” Reacting to these results, 5channel’s Business News+ board saw comments arguing the tax cut was never meant to stimulate the economy in the first place but to fight rising prices, worries about the cost of upgrading cash registers and the added burden on restaurants, calls to fund the shortfall by taxing big corporations and the wealthy, and demands that the weak yen be tackled alongside the tax cut.

September 22, 2026, 9:30 PM

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On the government’s decision to cut the consumption tax rate on groceries for a limited two-year period, half of companies say it “will not lead to” economic revitalization.

Source: news.tv-asahi.co.jp / Original article here

*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5channel (Business news+) thread “[Survey] Consumption Tax Cut “Won’t Lead to Revitalization,” Say Half of Respondents — Teikoku Databank Survey.”