Manpower Shortage Haunts Indian Construction Industry !

Just as the knowledge sector such as IT, ITeS and bio-technology, the Indian construction industry, which is set to witness massive investments in the next five years, is also facing an acute shortage of skilled workforce. The construction industry in India is facing a huge shortage of manpower, especially those with skill-sets to sustain the burgeoning growth in infrastructure and housing sectors.

The real estate boom has increased the demand for construction workers manifold and hiring workforce is becoming a major task for construction companies. Shortage of construction workers has, in fact, slowed down the growth of industry in metros and major cities across the country.

Special technically skilled manpower and project managers having all round knowledge are in short supply. There is 30 per cent shortage of specially skilled workforce. The demand for civil engineers, too, is much more than the available strength. Most of them prefer taking up jobs in the IT sector or accept lucrative assignments in the Middle East.

Civil engineering graduates don’t find these jobs lucrative because construction companies don’t pay enough and the jobs are also temporary. After a project is finished in one state the company moves to its project in another state leaving the workers behind. In most cases the workers too don’t prefer to shift unless they get good salaries and perks like in the IT companies.

According to a study many huge projects in major industrial belts are getting delayed by 12 to 18 months because of non-availability of workers. According to the study cities like Mumbai, New Delhi, Gurgaon, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Kolkata are facing severe shortage of construction workers. It has also been pointed out that the construction sector will account for over one fourth of new jobs to be created in the next eight years.

With pending projects and thousands of vacancies staring them in the face the developers are trying all tactics to get the required workforce.

However, turnover is not the only casualty of this shortage as several construction companies have also been forced to lower their recruitment standards. The companies, which earlier had stringent qualifying standards, have now lowered the bar.

Secondly, they are no longer insisting on hiring engineering graduates only as diploma holders too are welcome. Now construction companies are also approaching educational institutions for job placements.

So while on one hand the shortage of workers is alarming, on the other hand it also translates as a bagful of opportunities as it has opened up a sector with thousands of jobs just waiting for enterprising takers.