Construction Chief Gian-Luca Lardi: Who will build Switzerland in the future?

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Before the construction industry day in Ticino on Friday, builders dared to look into the future and realized with horror: In the coming years, more and more construction workers will be missing, and by 2040 every six jobs in the construction industry will be empty. With unforeseen consequences for the economy, workplace and society. Blick asked Gian-Luca Lardi, 53, Chairman of the Swiss Builders Association, what the industry wanted to do about it.

Blick: Mr. Lardi, who will build Switzerland in the future?
Gian Luca Lardi: This is a valid question. If we don’t take countermeasures now, there will be a bottleneck that can become painful. That’s why we want to address the shortage of skilled workers in the construction industry, which is the worst after the nursing professions, and sensitize the community to what it means to be abandoned from construction sites.

Well?
Today, the construction industry has an annual order volume of 23 billion Swiss francs. Without skilled workers, the volume could drop to 21 billion.

Does this mean specifically?
For example, if someone wants to build their own house, the contractor cannot find a company to build the house for him. Or a real estate investor who wants to build an apartment has difficulty in finding a company that will implement the project. Expansion and renewal of infrastructure will also be delayed. Without construction workers, society and the economy as a whole would suffer.

And will energy targets be threatened as well?
Yes, because there is also a lack of specialists to move forward with energetic renovation and refurbishment of the building stock where desired energy targets can actually be achieved.

In which functions is the deficiency most severe?
With foremen and foremen. There is a bottleneck in administrative functions, especially in construction. As in other industries, many experienced construction workers will retire over the next few years and there is a shortage of young people.

What can be done about it?
We should focus more on apprenticeship training for young people. Because the apprenticeship path is very flexible and offers a wide range of opportunities for advancement. Many successful contractors started out as pens.

What about women in construction?
There are quite a few women working in construction, but the proportion of women is likely to be higher. This also requires more effort to reconcile work and family life. Men who demand it more and more in construction also benefit from it. The construction industry has also changed significantly. Technical aids such as drones, tablets and other digital tools will soon be used in construction as naturally as a bricklayer’s trowel.

Do we need more immigration?
Not necessarily, we want to close the gap by making better use of the domestic potential. But when we exhaust all possibilities domestically, the question arises: more immigration or less construction.

Is the construction industry having a bad image?
Our image with young people and their parents, relatives, teachers, guidance counselors and peers is vital. Over the years, our major efforts to create an attractive image for the construction industry have been repeatedly greatly undermined by populist, negative union campaigns, especially before and during wage and CBA negotiations.

Are there any political demands?
No, we want to overcome this challenge on our own. We can achieve this by further increasing productivity, making young people interested in the profession and preventing them from leaving the industry.

Source :Blick