'Chronic" shortage of construction workers

The dearth of construction workers in a number of trades has reached "chronic" proportions, eating at the industry "like a deadly disease", Anglu Xuereb, president of the Federation of Building and Civil Engineering Contractors (FOBC) said.

"There are no workers for various trades in the construction industry. We have tried everything, and we did so repeatedly, but not even the Employment and Training Corporation (ETC) could alleviate the problem, which has now become chronic and is eating at the construction industry like a deadly disease," Mr Xuereb said.

The federation said it has received a significant number of complaints from many of its members who can no longer cope with the severe shortage of labour supply in various trades which are vital to the construction industry.

It attributed the situation to the fact that the hardship traditionally associated with the construction industry is not attractive to the country's youths, even though the industry has come a long way in terms of new technologies and methods.

It added that the Building Industry Consultative Council (BICC), ETC and the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST) and itself were all doing their part to train Maltese people in skills for certain construction trades where manpower is in short supply. "However the results of these efforts are still not sufficient to fill the lacuna in the various trades. Other developed countries have solved their labour supply shortages in the construction sector by importing the required manpower."

The FOBC said it was about time the government accepts the fact that there is a severe discrepancy between the supply and demand of construction workers and should start issuing the necessary permits to foreign workers in this sector without delay.

"This would also serve to curb any possible abuses of having foreigners working illegally and doing away with paying taxes and social contributions while also creating other problems," it said.