Growing shortage of qualified personnel challenges Turkish construction sector

The Turkish construction sector faces a growing shortage of qualified personnel, with salaries for construction masters now surpassing those of engineers, exacerbating challenges in project completion and workforce management

The shortage of qualified personnel in the construction sector is growing every day in Türkiye. The situation has reached a point where today, the salary of a construction master surpasses that of an engineer. The construction sector is complaining about the situation.

Aside from high salaries, there is also a shortage of workers to employ on construction sites. Due to the number of projects Turkish construction companies have abroad, sector representatives believe that many companies take qualified personnel abroad. 

The recent inflationary environment has exacerbated this problem, revealing a gap in finding qualified personnel. 

“The contractor’s biggest problem is time. Because they are racing against time, when there is a need for a helper, plasterer, or painter, they have difficulty finding workers, and end up having to pay higher wages than the market rate,” according to the representatives.

Master-apprentice relationship has ended

According to experts, the construction sector has an important place in the Turkish economy, but there is no interest in the profession.

“Every family wants their child to become an architect or engineer, but the sector struggles to find intermediate-level workers. Today, the daily wage of a trained master starts from ₺3,000. Architects or engineers do not earn this much.”

Similarly, experts believe that young people avoid entering the construction sector because they think it is difficult and requires body strength. There is also no training provided for lower-level workers in the sector. This also destroys the master-apprentice relationship, say experts.

Source: Newsroom