Almería’s construction industry is experiencing a significant workforce shortage as younger generations steer clear of the sector.
Local building firms and subcontractors are struggling to find skilled workers such as plumbers, bricklayers, tilers, plasterers, electricians, and crane operators. This scarcity is impacting the province’s ability to meet the growing demand for housing.
Andres Montiel, an experienced developer, expressed his concerns: ‘We have a great lack of specialists in the sector, that is the truth, plus those that do exist last less and less.’ Almeria, home to around twenty major construction firms and numerous subcontractors, is feeling the pinch of this deficit.
In 2008, Almeria had 36,000 workers within the Construction sector, at the end of 2023 they are now around 18,000, about half in just 15 years.
Efforts to attract local youth to the construction trades through initiatives by the Construction Labour Foundation have so far not been successful.
‘We have tried to promote training from the Construction Labour Foundation, but the truth is that today’s kids are not hooked,’ said Jose Luis Muñoz, long-time president of the Contractors Association.
The lack of local workers has resulted in an increased reliance on foreign labour, with nearly 5,000 immigrant workers currently employed in the industry.
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