72% of construction companies record losses of up to 5% in annual turnover due to workforce absenteeism. This situation is revealed by a research conducted by. Association of Builders and Developers (AECP) It is based on a survey of one hundred companies with different profiles and structures in the sector, in order to make Las Palmas as representative as possible.
“The 5% cost of invoicing companies in a region where profit margins are very narrow represents a large-scale negative impact that requires urgent measures,” said AECP president María Cheers Gil. .
Likewise, 23% of companies claim that the cost of sick leave reaches 10% of their turnover. Finally, 5% of companies declare that they even exceed this 10%. The study estimates the serious impact of workforce absenteeism and a shortage of skilled labor on a key sector in the Canary Islands economy.
“Productivity and loss of percentage of the Canary Islands’ GDP are within our concerns. From our organization, we are x-raying our structures to achieve and overcome this loss in the quest to become more competitive and strengthen this presence. We have previously analyzed some of the strengths and weaknesses, and it was crucial to evaluate how absenteeism and productivity affected companies’ billing, their ability to deal with new projects, and the role of the skilled workforce. In this way it will be possible to propose improvements with the data at hand,” explained AECP president María Salud Gil.
Actually, 82% of companies reported average absenteeism levels of up to 10%. The rate of cancellations in the remaining 18% company increases to 25%. These figures resulted in 42 percent of construction companies consulted experiencing delays in their work, with 41 percent of companies even halting bidding at least once.
Personnel profile and female presence
The data consulted also includes the average age of the teams. In 56% of companies, the majority of employees are between the ages of 45 and 55. Meanwhile, the main age range for the remaining 44% is between 30 and 45 years old, and those under 30 do not dominate the statistics in any company. “It stands out that the 18-30 age group never reaches the average, it is between zero and 1 percent, thus our suspicions are confirmed and a workforce prone to aging is inferred,” Gil emphasized.
As for gender distribution, the average number of women in the industry increased from 8% in 2020 to 11% in 2023. In fact, research shows that 70% of companies surveyed have women among their staff. Specifically, 33% of companies have between 10 and 20% women on staff, and in 28% the percentage even exceeds 20%. However, what is most striking is that one in every 10 people is working and the rate of women with permanent contracts in the sector is 21% higher than in other productive sectors. Additionally, 74.3% of women working in the construction industry work full-time; This rate is six points higher than all sectors. “So these are smaller numbers, but they are growing gradually and with quality employment. “All these data show that our work in this area is successful,” said the business representative.
30% of companies that do not have women on their staff match the profiles of microenterprises or highly specialized companies. The absence profile shows that 91% of sick leave corresponds to workers aged 30 to 55, particularly in the 45-55 age group, and is mostly concentrated in the summer months (66%) followed by the winter months (21%). In terms of duration, 3% last more than a year, 10% last six to 12 months, and 23% last one to six months. Looking at the type of workers, 84% of the absences belong to essential workers on construction sites (4% to foremen and construction managers). When considered as an excuse, it stands out that 78% of sick leave corresponds to a common illness and waiting for diagnostic tests.
Faced with this situation, 63% of companies undertake to take measures to reduce absenteeism. Active listening to staff needs, work flexibility, benefits and medical monitoring, health prevention and training programs are some of the measures adopted.
These include those from the Sector General Agreement, such as extra assistance, the promotion of preventive culture and health, visits to workplaces and checking working conditions on preventive matters, as well as the final protocol against discharge, temperatures, pension plan. , the development of a professional career, actions that support reconciliation and salaries above other sectors.
Skilled workforce
Regarding skilled labor, 92% of companies have problems recruiting, which causes 72% of construction companies to experience delays in their work, resulting in penalties and financial extra costs. In fact, the average number of unfilled job offers reaches 25%.
Due to these problems in recruiting qualified employees, 62% of companies surveyed estimated the average impact on their annual turnover to be almost 10% (9.24%).