Z Vietnamu míří do Česka první stavební dělníci The first construction workers are heading from Vietnam to the Czech Republic

Prague - The first hundreds of construction workers from Vietnam and other countries may head to the Czech Republic. The construction industry aims to solve the pressing shortage of labor. Representatives of employment agencies told ČTK that they signed a contract with the Union of Construction Entrepreneurs (SPS) last week. The union has thus completed the first phase of the selection process for employment agencies that will bring new employees to the Czech Republic.
    The company Longa Praha can immediately supply 100 workers qualified for the job in the field, said Pavel Hovorka, the project director of the company, to ČTK. More employees will be supplied depending on the demand from construction firms.
    The agency Fragenis, the second of the companies that have signed a contract with the construction union so far, will proceed in the same manner, stated its HR manager Kateřina Uličná. It is said to be able to supply up to 500 workers.
    According to Uličná, the workers coming to the Czech Republic will not arrive unprepared. "We have an agreement with Vietnamese agencies and schools that prepare people for work in our conditions," the manager said. It also involves, for example, language training. Allegedly, at least one person in a group of five employees should be able to communicate in Czech, but the goal is for everyone to master the language.
    The influx of workers from Vietnam is delayed according to Uličná due to administrative obstacles, such as obtaining a work permit. This can prolong the period from the request made by builders to the arrival of employees to up to three months.
    New workers, according to Hovorka, will not end up on construction sites in "black" employment. "We focus on transferring people among permanent employees," the director stated.
    The shortage of labor is identified as the main brake on further growth not only in the construction industry but also in other sectors. According to a previous statement from SPS representatives, the industry currently needs at least 5,000 more people. The same problem is currently also being addressed by the construction industry in Slovakia and, for example, in Ukraine.