Builders Wanted

France is suffering from a serious shortage of qualified building professionals, restraining the growth of many firms and leading to large increases in building costs. In a survey carried out by the French building trade association Fédération française du bâtiment (FFB) they found 75% of building firms were finding it difficult to recruit new employees. In the same survey 40% firms stated that, despite demand, they were unable to grow their business due to a shortage of qualified employees. Last year, some 100,000 new employees were recruited into the building profession, a net increase of 25,000, after taking account of those leaving the trade, mainly due to retirement. Between now and 2010 the industry needs to recruit an additional 420,000 employees, in large measure due to the increase in the number of anticipated retirements over the next few years. When final official figures are released it is likely building costs in France will have increased by as much as 9% last year, the largest increase on record.