High-rise buildings in Cebu City. This photo was taken in January 2018. (Photo by LITO TECSON / CEBU DAILY NEWS)
CEBU CITY, Cebu, Philippines — Amid its booming construction industry, Cebu remains to be confronted with the lack of skilled construction workers.
While the problem has been hounding them for some time, members of the Cebu Contractors Association (CCA) said this had worsened with the resumption of several projects following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kevin Lim, chair of Philconstruct Visayas 2023, said most contractors had turned to neighboring provinces since Cebu could not supply enough skilled workers.
“It is really hard to find people within the city who are willing to work in the construction industry,” he said.
Many of the workers they hire came from other areas like the Negros, Leyte and Surigao provinces.
Lim, who runs Zumyrphil Construction, cited the situation in his company, which has 10 cranes but only half of these are used since they have only five crane operators.
Francis Gerard Cañedo, president of CCA, shared the same sentiments.
He said many people prefer other jobs, like those in tourism-related establishments or in the business process outsourcing sector where pay is relatively higher than construction work.
Learning to cope
“Poaching of workers is also very rampant. Sometimes you see the workers here already working in another building next month,” said Cañedo of Frasec Ventures.
He said other skilled workers also decide to work in other countries, where construction companies offer better pay and benefits.
According to Cañedo, 80 percent of contractors in Cebu are considered micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) that will not be able to compete with foreign companies.
Aside from the shortage of workers, Lim said the construction industry in Cebu was also hit hard by high fuel costs.
“Fuel prices are higher right now and it affects almost everything,” he said.
Lim, however, believed that “times are getting a little better compared to the previous two years” because of the resumption of projects that have been suspended during the pandemic.
Cañedo said that in order to cope, construction firms were trying to “upskill” or “multiskill” their workforce through training.
They are also looking into hiring more women to handle welding, painting, and masonry tasks.
“It is a very challenging time but contractors are optimistic that we may be able to recover,” Cañedo said.