Contractors are overwhelmed trying to find construction workers.

(Baohatinh.vn) - In recent years, the demand for housing construction in urban areas of Ha Tinh has increased rapidly after the Lunar New Year, but many construction contractors are struggling to find workers due to a shortage of manpower.

After the Lunar New Year, many families begin construction on their homes. Small-scale civil construction projects therefore increase sharply. However, many construction contractors in Ha Tinh are facing significant difficulties in finding workers.

According to many contractors, the main reason for the shortage of construction workers is that young people are no longer choosing construction as a career as before. Instead, many are moving to work in industrial zones, factories, or participating in large construction projects such as urban areas, social housing, and apartment buildings, where they have more stable incomes and working conditions.

Furthermore, the strenuous nature of the work, often involving outdoor activities and dependence on weather conditions, has made civil construction less attractive to young workers. Observations at the construction team of Mr. Ngo The Vinh, a contractor building residential houses in Thanh Sen ward, show a significant decrease in the number of workers in recent years. Currently, his team only has about 15 people, so he has to carefully consider his options before accepting any projects.

"Previously, I could take on many houses at once, but now I have to consider carefully. At this stage, I'm only accepting about 4 residential houses for construction, and I'll only take on more after finishing those to avoid delays. Many people are hiring me to build houses, but I don't dare accept any more," Mr. Vinh said.

Besides labor shortages, many contractors also face the problem of workers frequently changing jobs. The majority of construction workers today are employed on a seasonal basis, without long-term contracts. When another company offers higher wages, they readily switch to working for a new firm, making it difficult for smaller contractors to retain their workforce.

Mr. Truong Van Hien, a construction contractor (Tran Phu ward), said that his team currently has nearly 20 workers, while the number of projects he has received from the end of 2025 to the beginning of 2026 is quite high. “In recent years, the number of construction workers has decreased. Young people are no longer interested in the profession, and many older workers are gradually retiring. Currently, the price for a skilled worker ranges from 400,000 to 500,000 VND per day depending on skill level, and for an assistant worker it's around 400,000 VND per day, but it's still difficult to recruit people. The work is strenuous, so not everyone can stick with it long-term,” Mr. Hien shared.

According to the survey, in order to retain highly skilled main workers, many contractors are willing to pay 600,000 - 700,000 VND per day to keep their employees.

To maintain construction progress, many small construction contractors have to resort to temporary solutions such as hiring additional local seasonal workers. This approach quickly addresses immediate labor needs but lacks a highly skilled workforce and stability.



"My family plans to start building our house after the Lunar New Year, but we're quite worried about the current shortage of construction workers, so we've been researching different construction teams. Some contractors accept the job but don't actually have enough workers, which prolongs the construction time and increases costs, so we're very cautious before making a decision," shared Ms. Nguyen Thuy Linh from Thanh Sen ward.

To address the long-term labor shortage, a comprehensive solution is needed, including providing systematic vocational training for young workers, improving working conditions, and increasing professionalism in labor management and utilization within the construction industry. Given the continued increase in housing construction demand in Ha Tinh, the shortage of construction workers is expected to persist. Without fundamental solutions, many civil construction contractors will continue to struggle to find workers.

Source: https://baohatinh.vn/chu-thau-hoa-mat-tim-tho-xay-post306890.html