The construction industry warns: 12,000 workers are needed on the Costa del Sol to meet the demand for housing

According to an estimate by José Andrés Mena, CEO of Jamena Construcciones, the sector would need to recruit between 8,000 and 12,000 new professionals to “meet current and future demand” in the province, where the high-end housing sector has become one of the main industries. “The problem is no longer simply finding qualified professionals, but ensuring a new generation takes over. Many workers will be retiring in the coming years and there are not enough young people entering these trades,” explained the head of the Estepona-based company.

The shortage affects virtually all roles in the construction sector. Master tradesmen, formwork fitters, steel fixers, specialist bricklayers, electricians, plumbers, plasterers, drywall fitters, tilers, machine operators, site managers, crane operators, lorry drivers and site labourers are among the most in-demand professionals. This situation is occurring despite the fact that construction remains one of the major drivers of employment in the Malaga economy, as demonstrated by the fact that unemployment in the sector has fallen by more than 30 per cent over the last four years (with 9,694 registered unemployed in July).

However, this fall in unemployment has not been accompanied by a greater supply of skilled tradespeople. “For years we have encouraged entire generations to pursue university degrees, whilst at the same time we have forgotten those who form the very backbone of the system: skilled tradespeople. Without bricklayers, electricians, plumbers or formwork fitters, it is impossible to build the homes that society needs,” argued José Andrés Mena.

To help turn this situation around, the company has set up the Jamena Foundation, an initiative which aims to revive traditional building trades, train new professionals and support the integration into the labour market of young people and groups who face greater difficulties in accessing employment.

The organisation will run training programmes focused on key trades such as bricklaying, carpentry, electrical work, plumbing, gardening and maintenance, helping to preserve professions that are essential to the sector’s development and facilitating the generational transition that construction firms are currently calling for. “We need to restore the value of these trades; they are professions with a bright future, high demand for workers and are essential for the Costa del Sol to continue growing in a sustainable way,” he said.

According to Jamena’s CEO, “the future of the sector will depend to a large extent on the ability to attract talent” to the building trades because “we can continue to develop major projects, but - he argued - we need people to make them a reality”. He therefore maintained that “training the next generation of professionals is a shared responsibility between businesses, public authorities and educational institutions”.