Labor shortage, other challenges hound construction industry in the Visayas region

CEBU CITY – The construction industry in the Visayas faces several challenges and opportunities that shape its growth and development, and labor shortage continues to hound the industry, leaders and officials of the 14th PHILCONSTRUCT Visayas 2025 Expo shared their insights in a press conference on June 4 at the Waterfront Cebu Hotel.

Engr. Gerardo Pancho, president, Philippine Constructors Association, Inc. (PCA) bared that overall, the Visayas region's construction industry is experiencing growth, driven by government initiatives and increasing demand for infrastructure and buildings. However, the industry still faces challenges, including fluctuations in construction numbers and values.

The industry struggles with a lack of skilled workers and professionals, including architects, engineers, and construction workers. This shortage is attributed to limited training and educational opportunities, an aging workforce, and Filipinos seeking better opportunities abroad, Pancho said.

“We are emphasizing the importance of preserving and growing human capital through continuous learning and knowledge acquisition that includes opening new opportunities and the necessity of learning to adapt to the changing needs of the industry,” Pancho said. 

PCA continuously collaborate with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the Commission on Education (CHED) to create pathways for learners to transition into various fields, highlighting the success of the multi-skilling program with over 100 graduates last year, he added.

Engr. Rizalito Casinilio, chair, CEO Forum, Philconstruct also mentioned the involvement of TESDA director in Cebu and the need to pursue further initiatives, focusing on the need for versatile workers who can handle multiple tasks, to prepare the labor force for future projects and new technologies by enhancing learning and knowledge sharing. 

“The key focus area, which is also a challenge, is to attract skilled workers to the industry and calls for solutions from the participants.  The need for innovative approaches to address the future workforce requirements is really important, especially knowledge sharing and learning from experienced individuals,” Casinilio said.

Casinilio added that with the PHILCONSTRUCT 2025, the PCA hopes to call to action for participants to contribute their ideas and solutions to the challenge of attracting skilled workers.  He emphasized the importance of regionalizing the PHILCONSTRUCT Visayas 2025, and highlights the biggest challenge: the labor force shortage and the need for upskilling and multiskilling.

Casinilio then mentioned the Mobile Training Center (MTC) initiated by its president, Ben Uy in collaboration with TESDA that aims to address half of the manpower shortage in Cebu’s construction industry within the next two years.

Partnerships with TESDA, CHED and other educational and skills development agencies are crucial for training and developing the labor force and discussions on the increasing wages and stressing the necessity of upskilling and multiskilling to manage labor costs, he added.

“Hopefully, some of these challenges are answered at the CEO Forum where topics at the PHILCONSTRUCT Visayas Conference are divided into three parts: operational sustainability, manpower and skills development, and business diversification, addressing the challenges raised by the Cebu Contractors Association, Inc. (CCA) members through focus group discussions,” Casinilio said. (Photos: MBCNewman)