Construction companies are facing a shortage of workers, some are relocating contracts

"Currently, we are filling 140 vacancies out of a total of 3000. There is fierce competition for candidates in the job market, with extremely low unemployment and a large number of job openings. There is an absolute shortage of qualified workers, candidates can choose, which also leads to an increase in staff turnover. The number of hires and departures is about fifty percent higher than in previous years," said Metrostav spokesperson Vojtěch Kostiha. According to him, applicants often have unrealistic salary expectations.

"The situation is significantly complicated by still challenging conditions and lengthy procedures for the employment of foreigners, especially qualified workers. We are generally keeping up with deadlines," added Kostiha. About one-tenth of the employees at Metrostav are foreign workers. Of these, 85 percent are Slovaks, followed by Bulgarians, Ukrainians, and Russians.

"Our personnel capacities are fully utilized. The most important technologies, such as laying asphalt mixtures on roads, are deployed on Saturdays and Sundays. We generally meet deadlines, but we have already had to refuse some demands and orders, and we are trying to move them to spring 2019," said the managing director of Swietelsky construction, František Fryš. The share of foreign workers in the company is nearly zero. However, Slovaks working in technical and management positions are not counted.

According to spokesperson Edita Novotná, Strabag is strengthening its workforce with temporary workers and former employees who are already retired and want to earn extra money. "We are also looking for reinforcements abroad, most often in Slovakia," she noted.

Eurovia, according to spokesperson Iveta Štočková, is addressing the employee shortage through close cooperation with secondary and higher education institutions and has also launched a recruitment campaign. There are currently no foreign employees, but in the near future, the company plans to replace the missing manual labor professions with foreign workers.

"The shortage of human resources is clearly felt in the market, but it does not affect our ability to meet deadlines. Currently, foreign workers make up about five percent of our workforce. The largest representation is from Slovakia and Ukraine," added Skanska spokesperson Tereza Mitošinková.

According to Jiří Vacek, director of the analytical company CEEC Research, the construction industry is suffering from a critical shortage of not only qualified workers but also unqualified ones. "One construction company director described the recruitment process for manual labor or auxiliary professions. The HR manager asks a question, and if there is any response from the other side, the company hires the employee. Choosing people is something one can only dream of," added Vacek.