As artificial intelligence rapidly changes office work, blue-collar jobs on work sites are drawing attention among young Japanese as a new career option. With severe labor shortages pushing up wages for skilled trades such as construction and civil engineering, a growing number of people in their 20s and 30s are entering these fields with the goal of earning 10 million yen (about 86 million won) or more a year.
A survey of average monthly pay by occupation in Japan found that wages in construction and civil engineering rose 1.5-fold over the past six years, the steepest increase of any field, Shizuoka Broadcasting System reported on the 2nd. The gain is attributed to competition among companies to secure skilled site workers as labor shortages deepen. Concerns that AI could replace office tasks have also increased interest in on-site technical work, which AI cannot easily perform.
At Heisei Construction in Numazu, Shizuoka Prefecture, the number of young people choosing site work after graduating from university is rising every year. One employee in their second year at the company said that by obtaining certifications and building skills, annual pay of 10 million yen, and even 20 million yen, is possible. At the Fuji Education and Training Center in Shizuoka Prefecture, about 150 aspiring technicians are learning construction and civil engineering skills. Becoming a high-earning site technician, however, requires not only physical stamina but also effort to master specialized skills and obtain certifications.
China Has More Than 400 Million Blue-Collar Workers, but Only Some Fields Pay Well
Blue-collar workers also form a vast employment market in China. Not all site jobs are seeing incomes rise together, however. According to the 2025 China Blue-Collar Employment Research Report, released in June by China's New Employment Forms Research Center, the country had about 427 million blue-collar workers last year, up slightly from 425 million a year earlier. Employment grew in service fields such as domestic helpers and delivery workers, while the numbers of ride-hailing drivers, truck drivers and live-streaming hosts declined.
Income gaps were pronounced. The average monthly income for blue-collar workers in China was 6,230 yuan (about 1.27 million won), but the figure varied widely by occupation. The highest-paying field was postpartum and child care at 10,128 yuan, followed by delivery workers at 8,325 yuan and truck drivers at 8,279 yuan. Manufacturing workers earned 6,013 yuan, security guards 4,592 yuan and sanitation workers 3,928 yuan.
Platform-based flexible employment is also expanding quickly. The report counted about 280 million flexible workers in China last year and projected the number would rise to 320 million this year, more than 40% of all urban workers. The shifts in Japan and China differ somewhat, but they share a common thread: as AI and digital technology spread, the value of on-site technical and service work is being reassessed.
