The construction sector is expanding, but skilled workers are scarce, both in the digital and green fields.
Construction: a growing sector despite the difficulties
Despite the numerous government aid that has arrived following the pandemic crisis and, in much more recent times, the war in Ukraine, the construction sector is facing some difficulties. It is a fact that the sector was seeing a renewal from all points of view, thanks also to the building bonuses that were created in a strategic way to help individuals and companies to start those works on properties that were previously stopped due to delays bureaucracy or irregularities in the structures.
However, another obstacle gives the sector insiders to think about.
There is work but there is a lack of specialized professionals
While the expansion of the market and the complicity of bonuses have given a boost to construction, which is registered as one of the best performing sectors compared to the period prior to the pandemic, on the other hand it is difficult for companies to find specialized personnel. The problem lies in the difference in supply and demand that has arisen after 2020 due to the difference between expected revenues (difficult to obtain) and planned revenues.
The most requested skills revolve around the digital and “green” branch, because the PNRR focuses on these issues to encourage the industrial evolution of our times (the famous “industry 4.0”). There are cases in which it is the worker who must find the time (and finances) to be able to afford the training that makes him attractive to the market and there are cases in which it is the employer who must allocate part of the profits to the employee’s training . All without being sure that these skills will continue to be a strong point and will not be replaced by other skills dictated by market changes.
The most searched professional figures in construction
The most searched professional figures in construction range from the installer of insulation and soundproofing systems to electrician technicians, from metal carpentry fitters to operators of construction machinery and equipment. If on the one hand these figures manage to be somehow available, thanks to the fact that experience is a fundamental element to achieve a certain competence in the sector and therefore it is relatively easy to become a useful figure for companies, other professional figures, requiring a much higher degree of qualifications, they are practically lacking in numerical terms.
The solution considered to try to resolve this imbalance of highly skilled workers consists in youth intervention: it is useful to favor a qualifying process already during the school years, in order to prepare future workers for a world that is tailor-made for them.