Monolith Corporation, Inc. Leading the Industry, the Company Publishes Standard Labor Costs for Concrete Floor Construction
Transforming Concrete Floor Construction from a "Black Box" Contracting Process to a Transparent, Standardized Process
モノリスコーポレーション株式会社
Monolith Corporation (Shimo-Oyamada-cho, Machida City, Tokyo; Representatives: Daio Sato andTsuyoshi Kawamura), in response to the amendments to the Construction Industry Act set to take effect in December 2025, independently established “appropriate staffing levels” and “appropriate prices” for concrete floor finishing work and announced them on July 1, Reiwa 8.
Announcement of Appropriate Prices
■A Major Turning Point for the Construction Industry
Following a five-year grace period, the upper limits on overtime work will be applied to the construction industry without further delay starting in April 2024.
In December 2025, amendments to the Construction Industry Act came into effect. These amendments represent a major turning point that will shake the entire industry, aimed at reforming business practices and addressing structural challenges such as a shortage of workers, long working hours, and soaring material costs.
During the sweltering summers caused by climate change, temperatures at outdoor construction sites can reach as high as 50 degrees, making heatstroke-related workplace accidents a particularly serious concern. The number of heatstroke-related fatalities and injuries in the construction industry is among the highest of any sector.
Sites in Extreme Heat
In particular, concrete floor work involves heavy labor performed outdoors in high-temperature environments, making the risk even higher; individual efforts—such as wearing work clothes with built-in fans—are no longer sufficient. Unless each site takes environmental conditions into account and ensures appropriate staffing levels and adequate rest periods, heatstroke incidents cannot be fully prevented.
■Background on Our Company’s Independent Publication of Fair Market Prices (Standard Labor Costs) for Floor Slab Work
For floor concrete contractors who take on projects from general contractors or first-tier plasterers in a manner that is essentially a “turnkey” arrangement, the lack of long-standing business practices and a standard for appropriate labor costs has led to a situation where project details tend to remain a “black box.”
Furthermore, it is believed that prioritizing balancing the books over quality—and the resulting repeated fragmentation of work through division of labor—has hindered transparency and contributed to the distorted structure of the construction industry.
Black Box
■What the Amendment to the Construction Industry Act Requires
The amendment to the Construction Industry Act has established a system to ensure appropriate labor costs at every stage, from the general contractor down to the subcontractors.
Appropriate Labor Costs
(1) Prohibition of bids based on significantly low labor and material costs
(2) Prohibition of contracts sold below cost (applies to contractors as well)
(3) Prohibition of construction schedule dumping
■ From Contract Work to Regular Employment—Transparent Construction Management
Now, as the construction industry reaches a turning point, our company (the Site Co-creation Organization Group) will achieve transparency in concrete floor construction and fully transparent project management by offering fair prices in accordance with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) guidelines, based on unit rates calculated from a clearly substantiated unit price table.
Contract Work vs. Regular Employment
Clearly specifying fair prices and appropriate staffing levels for regular employment projects—this is the proper response to legal reforms and leads to ensuring quality and safety.
■ “Where Responsibility Lies” Is Determined at the Estimation Stage
In floor concrete work, the floor contractor’s “responsibility” begins the moment ready-mix concrete is discharged from the pump. Estimates must be prepared on the premise of assuming that responsibility.
For outdoor pouring in the summer, when the surface temperature reaches nearly 50 degrees,and in winter, when low temperatures slow the hardening rate of the concrete, the appropriate number of workers required based on the estimated pour volume increases. It is crucial for every level—from the general contractor to the subcontractor—to carefully consider construction methods best suited to the environment and determine the appropriate number of workers, all based on the premise of assuming responsibility from the quotation stage.
■ Publication of Standard Values for 25 Target Occupations
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism is sequentially publishing benchmark values for “appropriate labor costs that should be paid” to prevent contracts from being awarded at significantly low prices (bargain-basement prices).
While 25 job categories are targeted for the publication of these benchmark values, not all categories have been published yet. Among the plastering work our company performs, the category for “concrete floors” has not yet been published.
■Appropriate Staffing of Skilled Workers and Standard Labor Costs
Our company was quick to conduct interviews with concrete floor specialists to determine the appropriate number of workers required based on the volume of concrete poured (m²). We then calculated the standard labor costs for concrete floor specialists based on that staffing level and published our findings independently.
<Unit Prices for Concrete Floor Construction>
Date of Issue: July 1, Reiwa 8
Monolith Corporation, Inc.
◆The following are guidelines for the appropriate number of workers to be assigned based on the volume of concrete poured (m²) for routine construction projects.
Appropriate Number of Workers
◆Standard labor costs (base unit prices) for skilled workers are as follows, depending on the number of workers assigned:
・Tokyo Metropolitan Government “Plasterer”: 33,800 yen (foreman level)
・For 2 or more workers, the standard unit price applies to a mix of skill levels
Appropriate Price (Standard Labor Cost)
■Comment from the Representative
Our company (the Site Co-creation Organization Group) was the first in the industry to independently publish standard labor costs (base rates).
These standard unit rates are not applied directly to estimates; labor costs are calculated based on the specific construction conditions and scope of work for each individual project. However, when sitting down for price negotiations, these standard labor costs (standard unit rates) serve as a benchmark for determining whether the labor costs are at an appropriate level.
The Site Co-creation Organization Group aims not to engage in price competition by cutting labor costs, but rather to realize new business practices in the construction industry—one that ensures fair labor costs to co-create the value of human labor, and where wages reach skilled workers without being reduced as they pass from general contractors to subcontractors.
<Reference Materials>
・Fair Prices for Floor Concrete Work Announced!!
https://monolith-c.co.jp/2026/07/10/%e5%9c%9f%e9%96%93%e5%b7%a5%e4%ba%8b%e3%81%af%e3%80%81/
・Fair Unit Price Table for Floor Construction Finally Released!!
・We’ve published the fair price and appropriate number of workers for concrete floor finishes!
[Company Overview]
Company Name: Monolith Corporation, Inc.
Address: 2674 Shimo-Oyamada-cho, Machida City, Tokyo 194-0202
Phone: 042-851-4077
FAX: 042-797-3603
URL: https://monolith-c.co.jp/
Business Description: A one-stop provider of comprehensive solutions for plastering, concrete flooring, earthwork, polishing, and finishing
Total solutions for concrete floor finishing
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