Plates in construction are increasing, the most have risen for designers

Prague - Wages in construction increased year-on-year by 7.7 percent to 27,908 CZK last year. Salaries continued to rise this year as well, increasing by ten percent in the first half of the year. The most significant wage increases were recorded for designers, bricklayers, and construction managers, according to data from the Czech Statistical Office.
    The average salary for designers was 35,109 CZK last year, which represents a year-on-year increase of 8.5 percent. A significant increase in salaries is also evident among bricklayers, whose wages rose by nearly six percent to 18,558 CZK. Construction managers saw an improvement of 5.5 percent, earning an average of 30,736 CZK last year.
    In contrast, employed architects experienced the least significant increase, with their salary rising by 2.2 percent to 29,991 CZK last year. The salaries of those in leading positions in construction increased by 3.7 percent to 76,917 CZK.
    Economists explain the rising wages in construction by the overheating of the industry, which is lacking workers and materials. "This is a sector that is experiencing significant expansion, and the shortage of labor in some professions is pushing wages up. They are growing faster than in the economy as a whole," stated analyst Tomáš Vlk from Patria Finance.
    While construction production increased by 6.6 percent to 463.06 billion CZK last year, the number of workers in the industry stagnated at 162,200. Due to a lack of domestic labor, companies are seeking sources abroad. The number of foreign workers in construction rose by nearly 14 percent to 58,400 last year. In this sector, the most commonly employed workers in our country come from Ukraine, Slovakia, and Poland.
    The growth of the sector and the related increase in wages will be noticeable in the future, according to economists. "Next year, the tension in the sector related to rising wages and material prices will continue. However, increasing mortgage rates and construction costs will gradually lead to a decrease in interest in building apartments and houses, and the pace of wage growth in construction will slow down," predicted analyst Markéta Šichtařová from Next Finance. Due to the VAT rate change from five to nine percent starting next year, apartment construction costs will rise by four percent.
    One of the few statistics that has not changed much in construction over recent years is the average age of workers. It was 42.9 years last year and the year before. The highest-paid workers are those over sixty years old, whose average salary last year was 32,672 CZK.