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MOSCOW, August 11 — RIA Real EstateThere is a shortage of builders in Russia, especially concrete workers, fitters and gas welders, against this background, the industry is one of the leaders in terms of salary growth rates — according to the results of the first half of 2024, they are 35% higher than in January-June 2023, experts interviewed by RIA Real Estate said.
As noted in the press service of the Ministry of Construction, about 12 million people work in the construction sector. Nevertheless, the issue of personnel requires special attention, including due to the growth in the volume of work in the industry by 20% compared to 2020, they indicated there. 
The head of the National Association of Builders (NOSTROY) Anton Glushkov recalled that according to the results of 2023, construction was in fourth place in terms of personnel shortage after trade, metallurgy and mechanical engineering. According to him, the shortage concerns all specialties, but the most worrying is the shortage of builders — from concrete workers to finishers, as well as general workers.
The Ministry of Construction specified that currently the most in-demand workers are concrete workers, masons, reinforcement workers, assemblers of steel and reinforced concrete structures, process pipelines, as well as electric and gas welders, carpenters, road workers, plasterers and painters.
Personnel crisis in figures
Recruiting platforms also record the problem of personnel shortage. According to HeadHunter calculations, in January-July 2024, demand from employers in the construction labor market increased by 26% compared to the same period last year, while supply increased by 11%.
According to the platform, the strongest increase in the number of vacancies in January-July was observed in such specialties as general laborer (+61%), fitter (+53%), welder (+36%), electrician (+35%), painter and plasterer (+34%), and maintenance engineer (+31%). Roman Gubanov, Development Director of Avito Works, points out that in July 2024, compared to July 2023, the demand for concrete workers increased more than threefold, and for bricklayers, reinforcement workers, and plasterers, it doubled.
As the press service of SuperJob added, the construction sector in July was among the top three industries with the highest demand for personnel, especially in the construction and installation works segment. Among engineering and technical workers, the most in-demand are engineers of the production and technical department (PTO), and among management positions, chief project engineers.
Salaries are on the rise
Against the backdrop of a shortage of personnel, the construction sector is among the leaders among Russian industries in terms of salary growth rates, Glushkov noted. According to him, based on the results of the first half of the year, employers are ready to offer an average salary of 85 thousand rubles, its growth over the year amounted to 35%.
According to HeadHunter, in January-July, compared to the same period last year, the median salary offered by employers increased by 24% — to 96.8 thousand rubles. The largest increase was noted in such categories as general workers (+35%, to 75.9 thousand rubles), welders (+35%, to 127.2 thousand rubles), electricians (+30%, to 78.2 thousand rubles), fitters (+28%, to 101.9 thousand rubles), painters and plasterers (+26%, to 90.8 thousand rubles). 
Salaries in the industrial and infrastructure sector increased by 15% year-on-year in July, to 80.9 thousand rubles with full employment, and in residential and commercial facilities, by 16%, to 80.4 thousand rubles, Gubanov added.
According to him, due to the shortage of personnel, the average offered salary in July increased the most among concrete workers (+58%, to 108.5 thousand rubles), drillers (+43%, to 127.6 thousand rubles), grinders (+40%, to 97.1 thousand rubles), facade workers (+39%, to 107.2 thousand rubles) and monolith workers (+38%, to 97.7 thousand rubles).
As for Moscow, according to the SuperJob platform, in July employers increased salary offers year-on-year by 11%. 
New Hands
In the long term, to provide the construction industry with workers, it is necessary to pay more attention to our own human resources, rather than attracting foreign workers to the construction site. This is only a short-term solution to the problem, Glushkov noted. He also emphasized that Russia has to compete with China, the United Arab Emirates, and Europe for labor migrants from the CIS countries.
«Russian employers are ready to pay foreigners the same wages as Russian employees, but they cannot compete in terms of wages with Arab or European construction companies,» Glushkov said.
He noted that in order to achieve the goal of increasing labor productivity by 22%, previously announced by Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin, it is necessary not only to increase the degree of automation of processes, but also to improve the qualifications of employees.
The Ministry of Construction, in turn, reported that the department had created a consortium to build a system for training personnel for the construction industry. It included ten industry higher education institutions, five research institutes, the Russian Academy of Architecture and Construction Sciences, the National Association of Surveyors and Designers, the National Association of Builders, and the Russian Union of Builders.