“There is a lack of people for work both in Lithuania and in other EU countries. For several years, there has been a particular shortage of welders and concreters. It is also more difficult to find electricians and installers of heating/ventilation systems,” says Raimonda Tatarėlytė, representative of the CVMarket.lt job search platform.
According to the expert, although it has always been usual for the most job offers to be announced in frequently changing positions in the sales, service, catering, transport or production sectors, in recent years construction market advertisements have also firmly established themselves among the Top 10 with the most open positions.
“We see the same trend across the continent. We have been watching it for almost a decade, but in recent years the market situation has gradually become dramatic. One of the most important reasons for the shortage of workers has become the increase in the average age of the population. For example, it is estimated that 10% of people in Sweden will retire in 2028. all workers in the construction sector, and there are no shifts for them.
In order to attract young people, a very important aspect that we must talk regarding is the attractiveness of a career in this field. We have to admit that, while technology, qualifications and the culture of the sector have changed beyond recognition in recent decades, the public image of construction still remains in the 1990s. This is one of the decisive reasons why young people choose to study construction professions less and less,” says Tadas Grincevičius, head of one of the largest construction companies in Lithuania, Naresta.
According to him, the situation of the lack of workers in Lithuania this year is saved in a way by the temporary decrease in the number of orders in the market due to the economic and geopolitical instability of recent years, but when the normal construction volume returns, this problem will become particularly acute.
The representative of “CVMarket.lt” seconded T. Grincevičius – the number of advertisements has decreased somewhat.
“Usually in the spring there was a boom in job offers in the construction sector – companies were preparing for their busiest season – summer. However, this year there was no such sudden increase in the number of advertisements in this sector. It is not uncommon for companies to comment that they do not yet have as many orders as they planned, or that they plan to do business with the employees they have. Closer to summer, more ads appeared, but not as many as last year,” says R.Tatarėlytė.
Salaries are solid, but not enough
“CVMarket.lt” representative estimates that recently up to 15% the remuneration offered to those professions, which are in great demand, grew. Analyzing the job ads posted on the platform, the expert says that today a concrete worker can earn from 1,000 to 1,700, an installer of aluminum structures – from 1,000 to 1,600, a laborer – from 800 to 1,300, and an auxiliary worker – from 750 to 1,250 euros.
Meanwhile, the remuneration offered to work managers ranges from 1,400 to 3,500, to construction managers – from 1,700 to 4,000, and to project managers – from 1,500 to 2,500 euros.
“The salary ranges are extremely wide, as they depend not only on the specialist’s own experience and professionalism, but also on the company’s capabilities, the size and structure of the implemented projects and, finally, the chosen philosophy,” says T.Grincevičius.
According to him, companies choose different tactics. Having chosen to pay salaries above the market average to team members, Naresta does so for greater efficiency and team stability. For example, the salary of experienced and competent project managers can exceed 5,000 euros, concrete workers – 2,900, bricklayers – 2,300, finishers – 2,500, auxiliary workers – 1,900 “in hand”.
“Higher salaries allow us to keep good employees in the company and minimize voluntary turnover. This year, it is only 3%, which means that we grow many experienced professionals internally. We have been following this policy since the company was founded, but in the current market conditions, it has become extremely relevant: due to the lack of employees in the sector, although we also face this problem, we can control the situation”, says the manager of Naresta.
However, according to the expert, even solid salaries will not be a sufficient solution in the long run if the sector does not take additional measures to attract young people.
“Improving the image of the profession and actively working with young people before they choose a career path is a shared responsibility of the entire sector. Work in construction is still associated with unskilled and often non-transparent activity in society, although in reality the situation has completely changed”, T.Grincevičius is convinced.
According to the head of Naresta, the market across Europe is trying to solve the shortage of workers in other ways: by developing technologies that increase the efficiency of construction and reduce the need for labor, by moving construction processes to factories.
“According to various calculations, in Europe in the next 5-6 years, in order to satisfy the demand, we need to attract regarding one and a half million new construction professionals, and the same number of them need to be replaced by the workers of the sector who are retiring. This is a huge challenge, regarding which we must speak loudly and find solutions together”, says T. Grincevičius.
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2024-07-11 16:02:20