FOBC president Angelo Xuereb said that the prevailing situation cannot continue. “There are no workers for various trades in the construction industry. We have tried everything, and we have done so repeatedly, but not even the Employment and Training Corporation (ETC) can alleviate the problem, which has now become chronic and is eating at the construction industry like a deadly disease”.

The federation attributes the current situation, which has persisted for a very long time, to the fact that the hardship traditionally associated with the construction industry is not attractive to young people, even though the industry has come a long way in terms of new technologies and methods.

FOBC, the Building Industry Consultative Council (BICC), ETC and the Malta College of Arts, Science & Technology (MCAST) are all doing their part to train locals in skills for certain construction trades where manpower is in short supply.

However, the results of these efforts are still not sufficient to fill the lacuna in the various trades. Other developed countries have solved their labour supply shortages in the construction sector by importing the required manpower from abroad.

The FOBC feels that it is high time the government accepts the fact that there is a severe discrepancy between the supply and demand of construction workers and should start issuing the necessary permits to foreign workers in this sector without delay. This would also serve to curb any possible abuse resulting from foreigners working illegally and therefore not paying tax and social contributions while also creating other problems. The construction industry has been ailing for far too long and this shortage of labour calls for immediate attention.

The construction industry is one of the main motors of the Maltese economy. It has many trades dependent upon it and unless the industry finds the necessary workers, the FOBC feels that there will soon be a slowing down in the industry itself, while completion dates may not be maintained.

These factors will definitely have a negative impact on the Maltese economy.

The FOBC has been discussing this problem with the relevant authorities for a number of years, but with no concrete results. Action needs to be taken now, said the FOBC.