Concerns about construction workers

Not a source of work, new personnel is a problem that many construction contractors have a headache.

Difficult to compete

Sharing with a reporter from the Securities Investment Newspaper, Mr. Tran Hong Phuc, General Director of Phuc Hung Holdings, said that human resources are the most difficult problem for construction enterprises. With Phuc Hung Holdings, despite making great efforts to implement solutions such as boosting the search for personnel, enhancing training and taking care of workers’ lives, etc., it is still difficult to recruit enough people and achieve quality. . This fact not only affects the ability to receive new projects, but also exposes contractors to undue losses from low labor performance.

“There is a project we accept to build in Phan Thiet (Binh Thuan) but the investor must also warn in advance that the most important thing is to prepare the labor source and retain them, because if the salary mechanism is not attractive enough will be immediately “fished” by other units, “said Mr. Phuc.

In the pre-epidemic period, the majority of construction workers came from ethnic minorities in the northern provinces such as Ha Giang, Tuyen Quang, Thai Nguyen, etc., or from other localities such as Nghe An, Thanh Hoa, and Thai Binh. , Nam Dinh, Bac Giang, Bac Ninh, Hai Duong…, but currently, a fairly large percentage of workers choose to return to their hometowns to work in industrial zones to be closer to their families and have more stability, even income may not be equal. This is one of the main reasons leading to the shortage of construction workers.

Not only is there a shortage of unskilled workers, the human resource market for the construction industry is also lacking in skilled workers, engineers, experts, etc., because it is no longer attractive in the eyes of young people. According to Mr. Phuc, currently, the income of construction workers and engineers is not as competitive as other professions, while the working conditions and environment are harsher, making recruitment really difficult. Phuc said that Phuc Hung Holdings once established a vocational school but could not recruit students because many people still prefer to attend colleges and universities.

Therefore, to improve recruitment efficiency, businesses also need to change their approach.

“Not only recruiting for position A and position B for jobs, employers must actively publicize, transparently, and clearly communicate about ongoing and future projects, development orientation of the company. businesses …, only then will the employees recognize and evaluate the job prospects and join the business”, Mr. Can recommended, adding that the contractors also need to clearly show it. commitments on job position, income, division of labor, and even workplace so that employees can clearly visualize and properly understand the work they will undertake, thereby helping businesses not only recruit unskilled workers, but also find good employees and have a better connection with the business.

“Construction companies now only compete on price, not on schedule anymore, because the progress has been forced by investors. The investor wants to reduce the maximum cost to achieve a high profit margin, so the contractor’s profit is getting thinner and thinner, plus the serious shortage of human resources makes it even more difficult. Therefore, the saying that there will be no construction businesses in a few years is not idle talk, but very realistic,” Mr. Phuc added.

Mr. Bui Khac Son, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Xuan Mai Investment and Construction Joint Stock Company also said that construction enterprises are facing many difficulties, from large debts, limited sources of work… difficult to recruit workers.

“Construction is an industry with large labor fluctuations, and the cohesion of workers with businesses is not high. Along with that, there are income limitations when it is difficult for businesses to pay higher wages than the current level, leading to low competitiveness of the profession,” said Mr. Son, adding, sometimes businesses also limit investment. equipment investment due to lack of labor due to low investment efficiency.

There is no basic solution

Difficult to recruit people” is a keyword mentioned by many businesses. Mr. Tran Quang Duc, Deputy Director of Dinh An Co., Ltd., said that recruiting workers is more difficult now than last year, including the reason that large transport infrastructure projects were promoted simultaneously. Across the country, the demand for human resources has skyrocketed, especially for technical staff specialized in traffic, bridges, and construction. Many employees after 5-10 years of working in the profession tend to change jobs to avoid having to work away from home.

Or as in the southern localities, especially the Mekong Delta, personnel working in the field of traffic, bridges and roads are quite rare, while dispatching personnel from the North is too far, it is difficult to arrange. mind. Mr. Duc forecast that attracting personnel in this industry will be even more competitive in the next 5 years.

Sharing the company’s labor recruitment experience, Mr. Duc said, Dinh An Company must use all channels, from the employees in the enterprise to introduce themselves to connect with recruitment agencies such as VietnamWorks, Vieclam24h…, recruiting through groups, social networking sites. In addition, enterprises must also arrange continuous work, increase remuneration to ensure income and life for employees.

Mr. Tran Hong Phuc said that Phuc Hung Holdings is managing each team, paying wages directly to take better care of employees, along with ensuring safety in construction and purchasing work. Full insurance and life care for employees. There have been many human resource development conferences organized by Phuc Hung Holdings, thereby sharing and listening to employees’ thoughts to increase cohesion…

Mr. Duong Van Can, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Association of Construction Contractors (VACC), assessed that the difficulty of human resources is a common context for many businesses and industries, but with the construction industry at a low level. higher level due to the specificity of the industry.