Bheki Mpofu
12 November 2008
Johannesburg — THE shortage of skills remained the biggest constraint to the implementation of SA's infrastructure programme, now estimated to be worth nearly R1-trillion, according to the findings of a recent infrastructure sector survey by executive recruitment firm Landelahni Business Leaders.
Although the number of civil engineering and other skilled graduates crucial to the delivery of infrastructure had soared in the past decade, more urgent steps still need to be taken to counter the effects of a surge in global demand. While 35511 engineers had graduated across all disciplines in SA between 1998 and 2006, only 14234 professional engineers were registered, 1100 fewer than 10 years ago.
There was also a severe shortage of well-qualified, competent and experienced artisans.
SA's construction sector has been grappling with the problem of skills shortage in recent years following a boom in infrastructure spending by both the government and private sector.
Landelahni Business Leaders CEO Sandra Burmeister said the skills shortage in the local construction sector was worsened by the high global demand for these skills, which had resulted in a "global war for talent".
She said even though the South African pool of skills had grown in the past 10 years, it was still not enough to meet the demands of a sector that had continued to grow.
Despite a slowdown in a number of economic sectors as a result of the global financial crisis, infrastructure is the only sector that has remained resilient.
"A creative and comprehensive approach is needed by the sector if it is to deliver on local projects against the backdrop of the global skills shortage," she said.
"Globally, research shows that skills shortages are the biggest constraint on construction growth, with project and contract managers, tradesman and engineers cited as the scarcest of all skills. SA is well known for its engineering skills, and the infrastructure sector is competing for skills in the global resourcing market," she said.
"The skills challenge is not over and will continue to be a challenge for the next 10 years, at least. The demand for skills in the infrastructure sector calls for a more innovative approach when recruiting at all levels in the organisation."
The survey, however, showed that as infrastructure capital investment had risen to an estimated R900bn, employment in the sector had also increased from 634000 in 2001 to 1,2-million last year . In 2006 the sector experienced 15,1% growth and last year topped that at 21,3%. Employment in the infrastructure sector has doubled from 4% to 8% of total employment.
But despite these growths, the shortage of skilled personnel still remained a major factor that could curtail further growth in the sector. The research also showed that despite the government's drive to import much-needed skills into the country, foreign nationals constituted only 2,9% of the construction sector workforce.
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