The construction industry has been in need of employees for years. A qualified construction worker is sought after and very valuable in every EU country. How much does a construction worker earn? What are the necessary professional qualifications for this position? We will find the answers in the article below.
According to the latest survey of the Occupational Barometer, individual professions in the construction industry are on the list of shortage professions. We are talking, among others, about:
- construction carpenters
- woodworkers
- construction roofers
- electricians
- wiremen
- bricklayers
- plasterers
- construction workers
What is important! Recent Eurofound reports confirm a noticeable shortage of workers in the construction industry. In this case, we are already talking about a pan-European scale. The largest shortage of construction workers was noted in:
- Belgium
- Ireland
- the Czech Republic
- Portugal
- Italy
Therefore, we recommend checking construction job offers in these countries. The high % of workers shortage contributes to changes in recruitment rules. Employers and employment agencies are less and less interested in finding a perfectly matched candidate. The priority for them is to close the recruitment process as soon as possible.
Construction worker – scope of duties
A number of duties of a construction worker will depend directly on the type of work performed. Below you can see exemplary scopes of duties, divided in to the most common positions on the construction site:
| Position | Scope of duties |
| Helper at the construction site | simple physical work, help with transporting materials and erecting scaffolding |
| Construction worker | formwork, scaffolding, bricklaying, plastering, assembly, finishing works, reading technical drawings |
| Bricklayer | construction of foundations, walls |
| Construction equipment operator | driving vehicles that are on the construction site |
| Foreman | supervising the work of the team, organizing working time, settling employees |
| Construction manager | supervising the progress of the work performed, assessing the quality of the work performed |
Construction worker – necessary qualifications
Employers care first of all about the skills and experience of a potential candidate. Education in this case does not play a major role.
But! If a person starts his career path without an adequate educational background (especially if we are talking about specialized professions, e.g. electrician, fitter, carpenter), the chances of employment are minimal.
Qualifications for the construction profession can be obtained, among others:
- in a vocational school
- technical school
- post-secondary school
- after a professional course
- after engineering studies
Apart from that, learning in the above-mentioned educational institutions guarantees internships, thanks to which you can gain your first experience in the profession. This, in turn, guarantees a positive consideration of our candidacy by the employer.
In addition, it is worth considering obtaining permissions and certificates related to:
- work at height
- machine operation
- reading technical drawings
- driving a crane / forklift
Construction worker – a candidate’s profile
Working in the construction industry is not easy. Here are the features most often sought by employers, necessary to work in this profession:
- strength
- physical fitness
- scrupulousness
- diligency
- perceptivity
- responsibility
- punctuality
- team working ability
- good eyesight and hearing
- attention divisibility
Are you looking for a job in construction?
Working conditions on the construction site
As a rule, there is a hierarchy in construction work. Regardless of experience or skills possessed, you start work from the lowest position. However, this is not a rule, it all depends on the place of employment.
A person with a degree in the field of study must have at least one year of practice on a construction site. In the case of a construction manager, the practice lasts 2 years.
Construction work most often appears as seasonal / temporary work. Firstly, due to the working conditions – it is mainly outdoor work. Secondly, the construction of the facility should be completed within the specified period.
However, some companies employ construction workers for a longer period of time, in order to have proven employees for subsequent projects.
The worktime is from 9 to 12 hours. Unfortunately, in this case we cannot talk about an 8-hour worktime. Most of the time it is 6 days a week. It is also possible to work overtime, which is paid extra. Check How To Calculate Overtime.
Construction worker – what are the earnings at the construction?
The construction industry offers a wide range of professions and positions. Earnings for individual positions will be different from each other. In addition, the amount of earnings depends on:
- experience
- skills
- location (not only about the country, but e.g. about the region or the city)
- permissions held
- size of the company / order / project
Next, we will see sample rates for selected positions in the construction industry, in various European countries.
Important! The rates come from the job offers published on the europa.jobs portal:
| Position / Country | Poland | Germany | Belgium | Ireland | France | Netherlands | Austria |
| general construction worker | 25-35 PLN | 14-16 EUR | 14-18 EUR | 13-15 EUR | 14-16 EUR | 17-18 EUR | 14-16 EUR |
| electrician | 36-40 PLN | 15-17 EUR | 16-19 EUR | 20-21 EUR | 16-17 EUR | 15-20 EUR | 14-16 EUR |
| fitter | 27-30 PLN | 16-20 EUR | 23-24 EUR | 18-20 EUR | 13-15 EUR | 15-17 EUR | 15-17 EUR |
| carpenter | 28-40 PLN | 14-16 EUR | 17-18 EUR | 21-23 EUR | 14-16 EUR | 18-20 EUR | 14-16 EUR |
| bricklayer | 31-40 PLN | 15-23 EUR | 18-23 EUR | 20-25 EUR | 12-15 EUR | 15-17 EUR | 15-17 EUR |
| machine operator | 32-45 PLN | 15-20 EUR | 28-30 EUR | 17-19 EUR | 16-17 EUR | 18-19 EUR | 14-16 EUR |
Advantages and disadvantages of working on a construction
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| 1. legal employment (most often an employment contract) 2. stable worktime 3. possible employment without an education (skills count) 4. wide selection of job offers 5. simplified recruitment process (employers care about real skills) | 1. hard and dangerous physical work 2. difficult working conditions (e.g. heat or rain) 3. knowledge of foreign languages (in case of working abroad) 4. age and gender restrictions (men under 45 are most often employed) |
