Outdated construction law and a lack of infrastructure projects as well as qualified labor are the main problems plaguing the Slovak construction sector, according to the Association of Construction Entrepreneurs in Slovakia(ZSPS). “The construction industry has been steadily falling since early 2016. It has already dropped 20 percent y-o-y,” says ZSPS president Pavol Kováčik, adding that many projects that have been prepared and tendered never break ground. In January, construction output dropped 17.2 percent y-o-y to €217.6m, according to the Statistical office SR. The sector employs 157,000 people, 7 percent of the whole economy. The labor force is aging, however, with half of construction workers older than 45. Ten years ago, the median age was 38. Construction companies are struggling to keep their staff busy as the industry slows, noting that it will be difficult to get qualified workers back once they have been laid off. Many of them will look for work abroad or change industries all together.
