Construction worker shortage at the end of the year.

Towards the end of the year, construction demand surges, leaving construction workers constantly overloaded with work. This is also a time when they have more opportunities to increase their income.

Towards the end of the year, the demand for construction workers increases, causing many project owners to scramble to find additional manpower to meet deadlines.

frantically searching for a craftsman.

For nearly a month now, Nguyen Van Chinh, a construction contractor in Thuy Nguyen ward, has been frantically searching for more construction workers, but has only managed to find a few. The project Chinh is undertaking is in its final stages and requires a large number of workers.

According to Chinh, construction enters its busiest period of the year from around the eighth lunar month onwards. Families want to complete their houses before the Lunar New Year, so the progress of the projects is accelerated daily. "Workers are hard to find at that time, and construction teams have to split into smaller groups to meet orders," Chinh said.

Chỉnh's team usually schedules jobs at the beginning of the year, but the workload increases dramatically towards the end. Many additional projects arise, such as house renovations, upgrades, and tomb construction, with completion times measured in just a few weeks. "During peak periods, we have to split into smaller teams to work on multiple projects simultaneously, ensuring homeowners are confident in the progress," Chỉnh shared.

In recent years, the demand for building and renovating houses and other public works in the city has increased sharply. However, the number of construction workers has not grown proportionally.

At the end of the year, construction workers have more work than they can handle.

According to Mr. Nguyen Dinh Chung, a construction contractor with nearly 20 years of experience in Thach Khoi ward, the shortage of labor has become a frequent occurrence.

Mr. Chung said: "Nowadays, most young people work in industrial zones, and few pursue a career in construction. Most of our workers are middle-aged, and many are even over 60 and still doing menial tasks like carrying mortar and bricks."

Each year, Mr. Chung undertakes the construction of approximately 8-10 houses, but to ensure the project is completed on schedule as promised to the homeowners, he has to meticulously plan his work schedule. During the peak season at the end of the year, the workload increases rapidly. For some projects, his team of workers has to work overtime to complete the interior design on time, meeting the homeowner's expectations.

"Last month, we even had to go all the way to the highlands to recruit and train construction workers. Although it was time-consuming, at least we had workers to meet the job requirements," said Chung.

Not only are residential projects underway, but many large-scale, key projects in the city are also being accelerated, attracting a large number of construction workers. Therefore, as the year draws to a close, the construction workforce becomes increasingly scarce.

The "golden" time to increase income.

Towards the end of the year, construction assistants also earn a pretty good income.

Calculating her earnings for this month, Ms. Pham Thi Han from Nam Trieu ward, who specializes in working as a plasterer on construction sites, said: "This month I should earn nearly 20 million VND. This morning, the project manager promised to give each person an extra 1 million VND bonus if the project is completed about half a month ahead of schedule."

Construction pace typically increases sharply in the last months of the year. This is also the time when construction workers earn the highest income, as labor and daily wage rates are pushed up. Homeowners can choose to entrust the entire project to a contractor in a "turnkey" format or hire individual contractors for specific tasks such as rough construction, electrical, plumbing, and steelwork. Regardless of the method, the contractor and main workers must carefully calculate costs to reach an agreement with the homeowner.

While the price for rough construction work, including building, plastering, formwork installation, and rebar tying, might be around 1.1 - 1.2 million VND/m² in the middle of the year, it can increase to 1.4 - 1.5 million VND/m² towards the end of the year. Electricians and plumbers will calculate costs based on the area, number of rooms, number of bathrooms, and complexity of the design.

The daily wage for construction workers also varies and increases significantly towards the end of the year. Currently, main construction workers are usually paid 500,000 - 600,000 VND/day depending on skill level; assistant workers earn 400,000 - 450,000 VND/day depending on ability and health. Those working on highly technical tasks such as plastering and decorating can receive up to 700,000 - 800,000 VND/day, an increase of 10-20% compared to the middle of the year.

Electricians, plumbers, and metalworkers, in particular, who are capable of designing and executing complete projects, can earn even higher incomes. During peak seasons, many unemployed agricultural workers also take on construction work to supplement their family income.

The demand for construction in Hai Phong is projected to continue increasing in the coming years. Although machinery is becoming more prevalent, it cannot completely replace the skillful work of human labor. Therefore, a highly skilled workforce of construction workers continues to play a crucial role and requires more thorough training in technical skills, aesthetics, and workplace safety.

HAI MINH

Source: https://baohaiphong.vn/khan-hiem-tho-xay-cuoi-nam-528721.html