Construction companies in the Czech Republic currently lack qualified workers, such as electricians or engineers. Compared to the pre-crisis year 2019, the supply of vacancies increased by up to a fifth. The number of candidates from the sectors most affected by measures against the spread of coronavirus, such as the hotel or hospitality industry, is growing.
According to data from the Labor Office of the Czech Republic, unemployment in the Czech Republic in July remained at 3.7 percent, the same as in the previous month, before falling for four months in a row. At the end of July, employers offered a total of 358,152 job vacancies through labor offices, which was 2,540 more than in June and 23,869 more than a year ago.
“For us, the problem remains the same as it was before the pandemic, there is a great shortage of skilled workers. It is not only about the unemployment rate, but also about the fact that after the pandemic people have less desire to change jobs. existing employer,” said Strabag spokeswoman Edita Novotná. In terms of specific professions, the company lacks, for example, engineers, asphalt laying workers, professional construction workers, construction carpenters, electricians, foremen, construction managers and calculators.
“We are seeing an increase in the number of candidates in the sectors most affected by the current crisis, such as the hotel and hospitality industry,” said Slavomíra Sedláčková, Human Resources Director of Skanska Central Europe.
According to her, the situation is similar to the beginning of 2020. The biggest problem is not to find construction workers, but electricians, craftsmen, drivers or operators of construction machinery, she said. “There is still a shortage of qualified candidates who are key to our business on the market. The demand is extreme and employees from the fields affected by covid will not really obtain such a qualification within a few weeks,” Sedláčková added. According to her, construction requires increasingly qualified employees even in previously purely manual positions, when engineers on dozers or finishers must be able to operate 3D guidance.
“Compared to 2019, the supply of vacancies in our country increased by 20 percent. At the same time, we record a lower number of responses to advertisements, especially in professional and managerial positions. It decreased by 15 percent compared to 2019. In the Metrostav group we have 70 tenders. We are mainly interested in construction technicians and engineers, ” added the group’s spokesman Vojtěch Kostiha.
Source: CTK
