Construction labor shortage

Construction had more than 18,400 job openings in the second quarter of 2019. Construction has the highest share of hard-to-fill vacancies among all sectors. Anno 2019, the labor shortage is still enormous. According to the Economic Institute for Construction, the labor market tightness will get even worse in 2020. The personnel shortage is greatest among home builders and road builders. A third of road builders have to leave work at the beginning of 2019 because of a lack of personnel. Among non-residential builders, the figure is 11 percent.

Which occupations are in high demand?

Bricklayers, jointers, plasterers and installers are badly needed. The UWV lists another list of sought-after occupations: electricians, installation mechanics, architectural draftsmen and engineers, painters, asbestos removers and roofers.

More women in construction

The battle for personnel is fierce. Through better working conditions and HRM policies of construction companies, the sector can retain more people. Women, for example. The industry's image plays an important role in this. Making work more attractive by offering good primary and secondary benefits, but also by providing fashionable personal protective equipment. As more and more women start working in construction, comfort and appearance are also being looked at differently. For example, safety shoes have a specific design for women.

Trendy personal protective equipment

The most frequently provided protective equipment in terms of safety are gloves, shoes, clogs and head protection such as the safety helmet that is always mandatory on a construction site. Fashion brands have also entered this market and offer a wide range of especially safety clothing and shoes. Protective products can be safe, solid and yet feminine and comfortable, for example a trendy pair of women's overalls, strong work pants, flashy safety boots, or a crazy clog.

Although the number of women in construction and engineering courses is slowly increasing, construction still has the image of a male culture. The image of muscular, rugged men with nude calendars in the sheds may change. Far fewer women work in engineering in the Netherlands than in the rest of Europe. With 18%, the Netherlands ranks lowest. There is still a lot of catching up to do here.