The shortage of workers is a threat to global construction

Prague - The lack of workers threatens both Czech and global construction, limits its growth, and increases costs. Builders globally are most lacking construction and project managers, craftsmen, specialists, and contract managers. In the Czech Republic and worldwide, the problem is primarily being addressed by companies through the recruitment of missing workers from abroad. This is evident from a global study on the construction industry, the results of which were provided to ČTK today by the consulting company KPMG.
    Clearly, the greatest scarcity in global construction is for construction and project managers, with up to 74 percent of surveyed companies reporting a shortage. Craftsmen, specialists, and contract managers are in short supply for 34 percent of companies, and 30 percent of them are struggling to find engineers. The President of the Association of Entrepreneurs in Construction (SPS), Václav Matyáš, previously stated that domestic construction is lacking at least around 5,000 people.
    According to participants in the survey, the lack of employees will have a significant impact on their business. Nearly half of them believe it will limit their growth, 21 percent expect an increase in risk in this regard, and 19 percent anticipate rising costs.
    Seventy-seven percent of surveyed companies admitted to employing workers from abroad. Currently, the SPS is selecting personnel agencies that should bring employees to Czech builders from countries such as Vietnam and China.
    Eighty-four percent of respondents in the survey believe that lingering problems with a lack of knowledge, experience, and skills are not sufficiently addressed in the construction industry. However, around 66 percent of companies are convinced that they are proceeding correctly in addressing the problem. "It is surprising that individual companies in the survey are convinced they are taking enough steps, but the industry as a whole suffers from a lack of quality people,” said KPMG Czech Republic partner Andreas Höfinghoff.
    KPMG gathered responses through personal interviews with CEOs and top managers of leading global construction supply companies in the first half of this year.