ZAGREB, Jan 10 (Hina) - Employers in the construction industry last year reported almost 19,000 vacancies with the Croatian Employment Bureau, while employers in shipbuilding reported around 2,400 vacancies. However, despite the high
unemployment rate in the country, most companies did not manage to find the adequate work force at the Bureau.
ZAGREB, Jan 10 (Hina) - Employers in the construction industry last
year reported almost 19,000 vacancies with the Croatian Employment
Bureau, while employers in shipbuilding reported around 2,400
vacancies. However, despite the high unemployment rate in the
country, most companies did not manage to find the adequate work
force at the Bureau. #L#
Almost 15 percent of vacancies in the construction sector and one
third of vacancies in the shipbuilding industry remained unfilled,
Bureau head Sanja Crnkovic-Pozaic said at a seminar on human
resources in the shipbuilding and construction industries in
Zagreb on Friday.
The seminar gathered representatives from some 20 construction
firms, the largest shipbuilding companies, unions and the
ministers of labour and welfare, economy, and public works and
construction.
Public Works Minister Radimir Cacic said the construction industry
had enough contracts to last at least another decade, with the
current labour demand of around 5,000 workers. Economy Minister
Ljubo Jurcic said Croatia's five shipyards would need around 1,500
new workers this year.
In order to determine available work force with qualifications
required by the two sectors, the Bureau last year interviewed all
registered persons with the required qualifications. After more
than half of them were interviewed, it was established that only one
third was willing or ready to start working immediately, Pozaic
said.
A large part of the respondents said they wanted to undergo
retraining programmes or did not show up for interviews, after
which they were erased from the unemployment register.
At the same time, a significant labour deficit in construction and
shipbuilding industries was reported.
Pozaic therefore suggested that the Bureau, government and
employers and competent institutions establish a working group
which would draw up a long-term plan of demand for human resources
as well as a set of measures aimed at ensuring sufficient and
qualified labour.
(hina) rml