Professionals worth their weight in gold? There is a shortage of drivers, electricians and construction workers in Podkarpacie
According to experts, staff shortages in the transport, logistics and manufacturing industries will deepen in 2024. Construction workers should also have no problem finding a job. However, it turns out that the growing demand is not always accompanied by an increase in salaries, and the gap between wages in individual voivodeships is huge. How much can the most sought-after employees in Podkarpacie earn?
According to the latest Occupational Barometer, i.e. the forecast of demand for professions in Poland, in 2024 there will be a shortage of workforce in 29 professions. In the analysis, prepared at the request of the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy by the Provincial Labour Office in Krakow, we will also find professions that have been at the top of the ranking continuously since its first publication in 2016. Interestingly, as many as 3/4 of them are professions dominated by men: carpenters, carpenters, roofers and construction tinsmiths, truck and tractor drivers, machine tool operators, welders.
“The beginning of the new year shows that there is still a shortage of specialists with vocational education. As last year, the problem occurs with manual workers in the construction, manufacturing, transport and logistics industries – says Sylwia Michałowska, Business Development Manager at LeasingTeam Group. Experts emphasize that this is not a new phenomenon at all, and there are many reasons for the shortage of workers. “This trend is not new and will continue to grow due to the pace of business development, unfavourable demographic situation and the education system that is not best suited to the requirements of the modern labour market ,” explains Hubert Laśkiewicz, Business Development Manager at LeasingTeam Group.
What is the situation in Podkarpacie?
Podkarpacie is a specific and quite difficult labour market. The largest number of well-paid offers is in industrial districts and large cities in the region. At the very top of the list of shortage occupations in the province were electricians, electromechanics and electricians, as well as truck and tractor drivers. The Occupational Barometer 2024 shows that bus drivers, welders, earthmoving equipment operators and mechanics should also have no problem finding or changing jobs this year. Vacancies will be difficult to fill in construction companies and in all positions that require significant physical effort.
“The best proof that local markets are not able to meet the needs of our economy in terms of human resources is the fact that more and more entrepreneurs are reaching for employees from distant regions of the world – from Asia and South America ,” says Hubert Laśkiewicz, Business Development Manager at LeasingTeam Group.
The manufacturing and transport industry will make money
Representatives of shortage professions in the production and transport and logistics industries can earn quite well this year. According to labour market experts, the rates for the most sought-after employees in these sectors are comparable to those in Lower Silesia and Mazovia, where the average salary is much higher.
“The salary grid in the manufacturing industry in the Podkarpacie region is quite stretched. Experienced carpenters can count on up to PLN 9,820 gross, electricians and electromechanics per month are able to earn PLN 9,500 gross, and machine tool operators up to PLN 8,250 gross. Of course, we are talking about qualified specialists. The rates for midfielders are much lower – says Justyna Gosk, Chief Operating Officer at LeasingTeam Group. “Locksmiths and welders employed under an employment contract earn from the lowest national wage to PLN 7,820 and PLN 6,500 gross, respectively ,” adds Justyna Gosk.
Truck drivers certainly cannot complain about low wages. According to the data of the LeasingTeam employment agency, in companies in the Podkarpackie region, they can earn from PLN 4,800 to even PLN 12,000 gross. These amounts are similar to those offered in Lower Silesia (PLN 5,000 – PLN 11,500 gross) and slightly lower than in the Mazowieckie Voivodeship (PLN 9,000 – PLN 11,500 gross). On the other hand, bus drivers will earn less, as they can count on PLN 4,242 to PLN 7,800 gross under an employment contract. For comparison, in Warsaw or Wrocław, employers are able to offer them up to PLN 9,000 gross.
Rebuilding the mood in the construction industry?
The turn of January and February is a period of increased recruitment in the construction industry. Companies are already preparing for the spring season, when investments will start in full swing. Although the latest data from the Central Statistical Office (GUS) say that 70.2 per cent of entrepreneurs in this sector report difficulties related to employment costs, the general business sentiment index for the construction industry has definitely improved compared to the previous year (in December it was – 13.2 points, and in the same month a year earlier – 23.9 points). There is also a noticeable decrease in barriers related to the uncertain economic situation and the cost of materials. How does this translate into the number of job offers and earnings?
“Construction companies in the Podkarpacie region are mainly looking for operators and mechanics of earthmoving equipment, to whom they are able to offer up to PLN 9,200 gross. Nearly PLN 8,000 gross can be counted on by pavers, finishing workers and building installation fitters – says Justyna Gosk from LeasingTeam Group. “However, the salaries of other employees in the construction industry are already 30-40 percent lower than in the Mazowieckie Voivodeship or the western part of the country – adds Justyna Gosk.
According to the calculations of experts from LeasingTeam, carpenters and carpenters can earn from PLN 4,560 to PLN 7,520 gross in the Podkarpacie region, bricklayers, plasterers and other construction workers up to PLN 7,000 gross, roofers and tinsmiths up to PLN 6,520 gross, and concrete workers and steel fixers up to PLN 5,889 gross. However, it is worth noting that many offers are still oscillating around the lowest national wage. The wage disparities are confirmed by GUS data from November 2023, which show that only in two voivodeships in Poland average wages in the construction sector are below PLN 6,000 gross. This is the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, where construction workers earn an average of PLN 5,558 gross, and the Subcarpathian Voivodeship, with an average salary of PLN 5,790 gross. It is also worth adding that construction is the sector in which wages are growing the slowest. The Central Statistical Office reports that wages in this industry increased by only 7.5 per cent over the last year. However, this may soon change, as the minimum wage is rising at a record pace, and workers in the construction industry are among the main beneficiaries of these increases.
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