University of Tokyo

Abstract
Survey Number 0660
Survey Title Questionnaire Survey for the Reduction of Working Hours, 2004
Depositor Council of Japan Construction Industry Employees' Unions
Restriction of Use For detailed information, please refer to 'For Data Users' at SSJDA website.

- Apply to SSJDA. Depositor's approval required.
Educational Purpose Available for both research and instructional purposes.
Period of Data Use Permission One year
Access to Datasets Download
Nesstar Not available
Summary This survey was conducted as part of the Shorter Working Hours Promotion Month in November 2004, in order to gain a detailed understanding of the working realities and attitudes of members of unions affiliated with the Council of Japan Construction Industry Employees’ Unions (JCU), feeding the findings back into initiatives related to shorter working hours conducted by JCU and its member unions, and thereby contributing to improvements in working conditions across the board.

In November every year, JCU conducts a survey with approximately 25% of union members (approximately 10,000 people) to gather information on their working hours. For 32 years since 1972, this survey has shed light on the work environment in the construction industry while adapting the content of the questions to suit changes in society.

In this survey, the survey items were carefully prepared to make them easy for union members to answer, hoping to grasp the state of working hours from responses of as many union members as possible. Specifically, the survey investigates and analyzes the actual state of working hours, such as taking days off on Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays, taking annual paid leave, and number of hours of overtime. The results again threw into sharp relief the reality that union members are still being exposed to severe overwork, as exemplified by overtime across all of JCU marking its highest levels in the past 10 years.
Data Type quantitative research
quantitative research: micro data
Universe Members of Council of Japan Construction Industry Employees' Unions
Unit of Observation Individual
Sample Size Sample size: 10,590 people
Valid responses: 7,869 people
Valid response rate: 74.3%

Date of Collection 2004-11-01 ~ 2004-11-01
2004/11/01
Time Period 2004 ~ 2004
Spatial Unit
Sampling Procedure Non-probability: Quota
A sample of approximately 25% of all union members were surveyed.

Questionnaires were distributed in line with the number of members in each member union and the profile of members in terms of age, gender, occupation type, etc.

Mode of Data Collection Self-administered questionnaire
Self-administered questionnaire: Paper
Distribution of printed self-administered questionnaire forms in combination with e-mail transmission of digital questionnaires (PDF question file and Excel response file) to be completed by data entry. Digital questionnaires were printed after completion and collected in printed form.

Collection method: sent by union branch to union headquarters to JCU

Investigator Council of Japan Construction Industry Employees' Unions
DOI 10.34500/SSJDA.0660
Sponsors (Funds)
Related Publications (by the Investigator) Please refer to the abstract in Japanese.
Related Publications (based on Secondary Analysis) List of related publications (based on Secondary Analysis)
Documentation [Questionnaire]
Major Survey Items 1. Gender, age, location of workplace

2. Occupation type, specific occupational category as an office engineer, work duties (official position), availability of overtime pay

3. Worksite attributes (worksite format, workers assigned to worksite, contracted value of work at worksite, construction period, contractee, worksite project category, use of building for construction worksite)

4. Worksite closures (contracted days off (at the time of the order), conditions for days off under works schedule, complete closures of respondent’s worksite in November, reasons for inability to close worksite on Saturdays)

Initiatives for unified worksite closures on Saturdays (initiatives in place, reasons for inability to implement closures, degree of ease of arranging closures, reasons why closures were easy)

5. Taking days off on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays (taking days off, number of days off taken in November, thoughts on taking Saturdays off)

6. Taking annual paid leave (number of annual paid leave days taken)

7. Regarding overtime work (number of non-scheduled working hours in November, reasons for doing overtime, reasons why unpaid overtime exists, means of reducing overtime)

8. Attitudes toward working hours (means of achieving shorter working hours across the entire construction industry, expectations toward union with regard to shorter working hours)

9. Attractiveness of the construction industry (feelings of attraction toward the construction industry, reasons for feeling attracted, reasons for not feeling attracted)

10. Article 36 agreements (awareness of the word “Article 36 agreements,” awareness of contents of Article 36 agreements)

11. Relating to health problems and mental health (anxiety about health, health anxiety-related items)

Date of Release 2010/08/18
Topics in CESSDA Click here for details

Occupational health
Working conditions
Topics in SSJDA Employment/Labor
Version 1 : 2010-08-18
Notes for Users While the Council of Japan Construction Industry Employees’ Unions “Questionnaire Survey for the Reduction of Working Hours” is administered annually to union members, it is not a panel survey.