No Way Forward? Japanese Managers Feel Stuck with Increased Duties and Labor Shortages

A nationwide survey aimed at managers and middle managers in Japan showed that 11.1% of respondents felt their daily workload was “very heavy,” 25.5% “heavy,” and 27.1% “relatively heavy.” This added up to 63.7% in total, who found their workload “heavy.” In addition, 60% felt their workloads had “increased.” The survey was conducted in March 2025 by EVeM, a management support provider for companies.

The top two reasons for the heavier workloads were “labor shortages” (58.1%) and “increased variety of tasks” (48.6%). This was followed by “increased limits on how staff members can work (such as times and location)” (25.2%), revealing that the expanding freedom in working styles, such as remote work, is becoming a burden on those who have to manage it.

Only one in five managers (18.3%) thought they could expect their workload to be reduced in the future. EVeM pointed out that “there is a prevalent atmosphere in the workplace that even if you work hard, you don’t get rewarded.”

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © Pixta.)