What is the most notable change in the construction industry over the last decade?
I believe that the most significant change over the last decade is an attitude towards safety at work and work culture. Construction sites have changed a lot and employers show more interest in their employees’ well-being. The number of fatal accidents at work is decreasing every year in Lithuania. The data from the State Labour Inspectorate shows that the decreasing trend of accidents continues for seven years now.
On the other hand, even though the progress in this area is positive, there are also some worrying trends: accidents at work are much more common among young employees. We might say that we have changed the work culture among the current employees, but, still, there is a lot of work to be done in educating the young professionals. No one wants their career to end on their first days on a construction site.
Do you think there’s enough communication from the employers to attract young professionals to the industry?
I guess the amount of communication is sufficient, but we could discuss its quality. The main rule of efficient communication – to know what you want to say and to whom. Lately, we hear a lot about the lack of employees in the construction industry and that it is very hard to find employees. Meanwhile, the young can only wonder why the construction industry is so unattractive, why no one wants to work in this industry. If you keep on repeating the same message, it will not solve the problem and even might be counterproductive. Young professionals want to know why this industry is attractive, what are its advantages and what prospects does it offer.
Also, companies should start speaking in the language of the young. Communication on TV or in a newspaper is not as effective as it was ten years ago. Influencers of the construction industry should start using Facebook, Instagram and other social platforms.
You know the market and have identified the challenges, but what are the ways to attract young professionals to the construction industry?
Nowadays, the boundaries between industries are dissolving. They are not that clear-cut as before. Employers must understand that now they compete for young professionals not only with other construction companies but other industries as well: IT, banks, shared service centres etc. Young professionals are not afraid to seek new qualifications, look into new career paths, and their expectations towards employers are the same across all industries.
Salaries paid on time and social security are taken for granted, and these aspects are not advantages for recruitment anymore. During interviews with potential employees, the employers must be ready to answer questions about employee motivation systems, the company’s social responsibility, flexible work hours, additional health insurance. It is hard to believe, but some employers still find these questions ridiculous.
The new decade has started with changes in every industry. What is your opinion about innovations and new technology solutions in the construction industry over the next ten years?
The construction industry is about to change as the finance industry has changed several years ago: strict, conservative, with clear-cut rules. And then, like a bolt from the blue, emerged Revolut, Monetha and other fintech players. The banking sector had to change their rules of the game and adapt to the changes in the market. Currently, the construction industry faces transformation due to BIM and PropTech technologies. Artificial intelligence, augmented reality, the internet of things and other digital technologies are changing the industry and will change it beyond recognition in the future.
Just a few years ago it was hard to imagine that artificial intelligence can be used in the construction industry to register, recognise and forecast circumstances that can lead to accidents at work. Now, companies that use the technology reduce the number of accidents at work by one fifth. Of course, the technologies keep on developing at an enormous pace and soon solutions like this will become an irreplaceable tool on a construction site.
