Fig. 1
Total number of workers employed in the Croatian construction sector (2008–2017). Source: Croatian Bureau of Statistics 2018a; processing by authors.
Fig. 2
Percentage of employees of different skill levels in the Croatian construction sector (2008–2017): unskilled, skilled, and secondary school education. Source: Croatian Bureau of Statistics 2018a; processing by authors.
Fig. 3
Percentage of employees of different skill levels in the Croatian construction sector by educational attainment (2008–2017): semi-skilled, highly skilled, basic school education, nonuniversity degree, and university degree. Source: Croatian Bureau of Statistics 2018a; processing by authors.
Fig. 4
Annual quotas for employment of foreign workers in the Croatian construction sector (2016–2020). Source: Official Gazette, 2016–2019; processing by authors.
Tab. 1
Response strategies for labor and skill shortages, as well as the main actors in the Croatian construction industry
| Response strategy | Actors | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Labor shortage | Short term | Enhancement of annual quotas for employment of foreign workers | Government |
| Employment of foreign workers | Employers | ||
| Additional training of employed skilled workers and implementation of multiskilling on construction sites | Employers | ||
| Long term | Better promotion of construction profession and changing the image of the construction sector | Trade Union; Construction Employers’ Association; employers | |
| Improvement of HRM practices (material and nonmaterial compensation) in construction organizations | Trade Union; Construction Employers’ Association; employers | ||
| Redesigning the construction processes, the implementation of new technology and techniques, prefabrication, and automation of construction sites | Employers | ||
| Skill shortage | Short term | Retraining the long-term unemployed | Croatian Employment Service |
| Long term | Construction labor market planning | Government; Croatian Ministry of Science and Education; Trade Union; Construction Employers’ Association; employers | |
| Implementation of construction skill certification scheme | Government; Trade Union; Construction Employers’ Association | ||
| Changes and improvements in formal education: vocational, undergraduate, and graduate education | Croatian Ministry of Science and Education | ||
| Improvements in informal (on-the-job) skill formation training on construction sites | Employers | ||