[Vanished Skilled Workers]② Aging Crisis in Construction Industry Due to Youth Exodus

Increase in Employment Rate of Construction Technicians Aged 60s and 70s and Above
Decline in Employment of 30s and 40s Persists
Measures Needed to Attract Young New Technicians

The aging of domestic construction technicians is intensifying. The influx of new technicians in their 20s and 30s is gradually decreasing, preventing workforce renewal. There are even concerns that elderly retired officials are occupying these positions, leading to a widespread culture of favoritism. Experts agree that a structural environment must be established where university graduates can utilize their majors to find employment, gain field experience, and grow into skilled technicians.

According to the Korea Construction Personnel Policy Institute on the 12th, when categorizing construction technicians by age group (as of June 2022), the number of technicians in their 30s and 40s decreased by 1.9% and 1.2% respectively compared to the previous year, indicating a serious trend of workforce exit among the core age groups. Additionally, while the proportion of technicians in their 40s and 50s was 61.5%, the increase rates for those in their 60s and 70s or older were 13.2% and 20.9% respectively during the same period, showing rapid aging among construction technicians.

The employment decline among those in their 30s and 40s continues. The employment rates of construction technicians rank as follows: 20s (80.7%) → 50s (75.3%) → 60s (74.6%) → 30s (73.8%) → 40s (67.6%) → 70s (64.2%). Except for those in their 20s, the employment rates of the core age groups in their 30s and 40s are lower than those in their 50s and 60s. Although the employment rates for technicians in their 30s and 40s increased by 1.1 percentage points and 0.1 percentage points respectively, the actual number of employed individuals decreased by 1.9% and 1.2%, clearly showing a decline in employment among the core age groups.

Yoo Dong-young of the Korea Construction Personnel Policy Institute stated, "The shortage of young construction technicians could lead to a weakening of competitiveness in the construction industry in the mid to long term," and emphasized, "Urgent measures are needed to address the exit of construction technicians in their 30s and 40s and the aging of construction personnel."

In particular, the supervision sector, which was identified as a main cause of the recent Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) rebar omission incident, is also facing severe aging due to an unstable employment structure. Because regulations prohibit assigning supervisors to other projects during construction suspension periods expected to last more than three months until completion, it is common to hire contract or non-regular workers. As a result, young people in their 20s and 30s prefer construction companies over supervision firms due to employment instability, and many turn their attention to industries unrelated to construction.

Industry insiders say that retirees who have left the workplace and seek short-term jobs are filling these positions. Ideally, a virtuous cycle should be established where university graduates utilize their majors to get hired, gain relevant work and field experience, and grow into skilled technicians, but the influx of new technicians has effectively been blocked. In fact, the Korea Construction Engineering Association continues to post job openings for new supervisors.

A representative from the Construction Engineering Association explained, "Even if one has a certification to handle supervision tasks, a certain level of experience points is required, and the entry barrier is higher in supervision than in design or construction, making it difficult for young people to enter and develop their skills," adding, "Also, due to salary and employment stability reasons, young people prefer employment at construction companies over supervision firms."

Experts warn that a shortage of young, entry-level construction technicians could lead to a decline in competitiveness in the construction industry in the mid to long term. A representative from the Korea Construction Technicians Association said, "The shortage of young construction technicians is causing problems such as a lack of personnel for bidding (PQ) and on-site deployment, and many construction management (CM) and supervision contractors are expressing difficulties in securing young, entry-level technicians," adding, "To improve the structure of the construction industry, measures must be taken to ensure sufficient inflow of young construction personnel into the industry."