Greek construction companies fear staff shortages
All major construction groups, as well as companies active in real estate development and the wider construction industry, are concerned over a growing shortage of craftsmen, machine operators and even construction site engineers, Kathimerini understands, given that in the coming months the simultaneous implementation of projects worth several billion euros will begin.
Accelerating work in Elliniko, southern Athens, new highway concessions, construction projects (e.g. hotels and housing) and projects related to the energy sector will be in focus, requiring tens of thousands of hands, which are now extremely hard to find and are paid handsomely.
To date, although the issue is widely known, no relevant initiative has been taken at the institutional level.
However, it is likely that the worries expressed will soon increase, calling for the implementation of initiatives to facilitate the importing of labor.
Otherwise, the timetable provided for many of those projects will have to be significantly extended, because of contractors’ inability to complete them in time.
