The construction It ended 2025 with 1.53 million people employed, the highest figure since 2010, after growing 4.5% year-over-year, outpacing both manufacturing and services. This figure should be good news. And it would be, were it not for the fact that this same sector is plagued by a problem that no employment data can mask: It is running out of young workers to whom it can pass on the knowledge accumulated over decades.
The generational shift in the construction industry is not a future risk. It is a crisis that is already affecting the sector’s ability to meet the demand for housing, energy-efficiency retrofits, and infrastructure. This article analyzes the true scope of the crisis, its causes, and the strategies that companies and government agencies are implementing to address it.
The Current State of Generational Transition in the Construction Industry
An Aging Workforce in the Construction Industry
The data leaves no room for optimistic interpretations. The 55.51% of construction workers are over 45 years old, and in the building construction sector, that percentage already exceeds 60%. At the other end of the spectrum, only 9% of the sector’s employees are under 30, while more than 30% are close to retirement.
The pace of this aging is particularly striking. From 2007 to 2022, the sector saw its workforce age by 8 years, reaching an average age of 45, while in the rest of the economy, the average age increased by only 4 years over the same period. Some occupations face even more critical situations: truck drivers have an average age of 50.6, and construction supervisors, plasterers, and mobile machinery operators are already around 48.
Shortage of young, skilled workers
The deficit is not temporary. The construction industry faces a shortage of 700,000 workers, which, according to the employers' association CNC, is the number the sector needs to meet Spain's housing and infrastructure commitments set forth in the Recovery Plan. And the gap will continue to widen: starting in 2025, the working-age youth population is projected to decline by an estimated 12.8% through 2050.
Main Causes of the Lack of a Generational Transition in the Construction Industry
The sector's image remains one of the main obstacles. Since the 2008 financial crisis, the profession has failed to attract enough new professionals, and in recent years many students have opted for other emerging fields such as computer engineering, artificial intelligence, and green energy.
Added to this is the lack of clear training pathways that link vocational training to the realities of construction sites, as well as the perception that the construction industry offers little in the way of technological advancement compared to other sectors—a perception that is changing rapidly.
How does generational transition affect construction companies?
The impact is multifaceted: loss of accumulated technical knowledge, longer training periods for new employees, pressure on wages due to a shortage of qualified candidates, and delays in project delivery. The shortage of skilled labor Delays in the delivery of new homes are already beginning to occur in areas with the highest real estate pressure, turning the talent shortage into a problem that goes beyond human resources and directly affects the business.
How does digitization affect generational transition?
Technology is, paradoxically, part of the solution. To reverse this trend, the sector is promoting a more modern approach to construction, incorporating concepts such as digitization, the use of drones for inspections, BIM modeling for efficient planning, and sustainable solutions. The industrialization of construction processes is also transforming the profile of the workers needed, opening the door to young people with technical and digital training who previously did not consider construction as a career option.
Strategies for Attracting Young Talent to the Construction Industry
Companies that are achieving results combine three drivers: technological modernization of its processes to attract more qualified candidates, collaboration with vocational training centers to create a talent pipeline from training to the job site, and improvement of working conditions to compete with other sectors that are also seeking to attract the same young people.
| Profile | Lawsuit | Recommended Training | Why It's Key |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction Laborer / Masonry Worker | Very high | Basic Vocational Training in Construction · Occupational Safety and Health (PRL) 20h | A shrinking workforce due to a lack of interest among young people and the mass retirement of current workers. |
| Formwork Carpenter | Very high | Intermediate Vocational Training · Specialized Courses | One of the occupations with the oldest workforce and one of the hardest to replace with automation in the short term. |
| Construction Electrician | Very high | Vocational Training in Electrical Installations · Certifications | Demand is surging due to energy retrofits and the electrification of buildings. |
| BIM (Building Information Modeling) Technician | Sign Up | Vocational Training / Bachelor's Degree + BIM Certification | The digitization of the sector is making this role essential for projects of a certain scale. |
| Energy Efficiency and Renovation Technician | Sign Up | Technical Architecture / Engineering + Specialization | European funds and climate goals are driving a structural and growing demand. |
| Construction Equipment Operator | Sign Up | Operator License · Specific Courses | Average age is around 48. A niche audience with few young people interested in joining. |
| Industrialized Construction / Prefabricated Structures Technician | Waxing | Industrial Engineering / Vocational Training + On-the-Job Training | The industrialization of the construction process is creating new technical roles that are attractive to young people in the digital age. |
Companies Driving Generational Transition
Major Spanish construction companies such as ACS, FCC, Sacyr, and ACCIONA have been developing specific dual-training programs and initiatives to recruit young people in collaboration with vocational training centers for years. One of the keys to alleviating the shortage of qualified workers is forge partnerships with these training centers, so that they can integrate professional growth models into the value chain through micro-skills acquired by new professionals in the sector.
References
- Construction Industry Observatory. An In-Depth Analysis of Employment in the Construction Sector in 2025.
- Randstad Research. Sectoral Analysis of the Labor Market, Q2 2025.
- Andimac. 360° Observatory, 2025.
- Randstad Research. The Generational Challenge in the Labor Market: Aging, Talent Shortages, and Skills Gaps, 2025.
- Infoconstrucción / Construction Observatory, 2024.
