For a long time, the construction industry has had a skills shortage, both in terms of skilled labor at the secondary level and experts at the higher level. The skill shortage experienced by companies in the construction industry is higher than other sectors of the economy and significantly more common than, for example, the average in EU countries.
Companies in the construction industry see the skills shortage first and foremost as a qualitative problem. Even if there are applicants, it is challenging to find a workforce with the right professional skills. The need for labor will increase even more in the future. Read the 2024 skills needs assessment (pdf).
Our goal
- Let's reduce the employment problems in the industry by increasing incentives for employment. The funding model for vocational education will be developed so that employment has a greater weight than at present, and referrals to continuing education will be improved.
- We will especially improve the passing time of universities of applied sciences by increasing the resources of higher education institutions and developing funding control models.
- Training in the field is being developed to meet changing needs. A new skills needs assessment will be carried out, in which the education requirements and level of the industry are mirrored to the requirements of the future labor market.
- We will increase opportunities to attract experts to the field also from outside Finland's borders.
- Resources will be added to the R&D and competence areas critical to the construction industry, which include:
- urban and transport economics
- repair construction
- infrastructure construction
- digitization.
Contact persons
Lauri Pakkanen
Director, Public Affairs
lauri.pakkanen@rt.fi + 358 50 522 7797Confederation of Finnish Construction Industries (CFCI)
Saku Lehtinen
Leading expert
saku.lehtinen@rt.fi + 358 40 041 2057Confederation of Finnish Construction Industries (CFCI)