 |
 |
 |
Reflecting the economic boom which has lasted for a long time, the labor
supply/ demand situation has tightened, causing the paucity of manpower to be
felt in many industrial fields of our country
(Fig. 19). In the transportation industry, the serious labor shortage situation
has posed an alarming problem, and the formulation of countermeasures, including
the securing of manpower, has become an absolute necessity (Fig.
20).
(1) Factors Behind Labor Shortages in the Transportation Industry
1) Severe Working Conditions
Generally, working conditions in the transportation industry are severe.
For example, the working environment is bad and the contents of work are rigorous
while working hours are long and irregular. For all this, the working conditions
of employees in the industry, including wages and welfare, are worse than those
in other industries.
2) Labor-Intensive Nature of the Transportation Industry
The transportation industry is, in many cases, Labor-intensive. Because
of this, as is typically the case with transportation by automobiles, more workforce
needs to be secured if means of transportation are increased to meet demand
for transport. It is difficult to implement laborsaving schemes in the transportation
industry (Fig. 21).
(2) Impact Labor Shortages in the Transportation Industry Have on Economic
Society
Ever-worsening labor shortages in the transportation industry have already
been affecting various fields. Transport services for users in general, such
as late night taxi services, on-season forwarding operations of department stores,
moving transport services and chartered bus services, are no longer able to
meet demands appropriately. Prompt door-to-door delivery services are also becoming
increasingly difficult.
With regard to industrial needs, cases have been reported in which transportation
services that meet the requirements of consignors, including just-in-time formulas,
cannot be provided.
In the transportation industry, various efforts are now being made to counter
labor shortages with overtime work, the rationalization of transport systems,
and labor saving through mechanization. In the labor-intensive transportation
industry, however, there is the possibility of labor shortages immediately bringing
about reductions in the transportation capacity and delaying the provision of
stable transport services. Bottlenecks in transportation stand in the way of
economic expansion and development, hence how to address the problem of labor
shortages in the transportation industry has become a matter of urgency.
|
|
|