sequaForum 2022 A01: Skilled workers from third countries

Editorial

In August 2020, I wanted to commission a plumbing company to replace an old sewage pipe made of cast iron. However, although I am a regular customer of the company, they refused my request.

The Reason: The job was complicated and all the skilled workers were booked out.

It was only one and a half years later that a craftsman was able to carry out the work. Another example: Because of the exploding energy prices, I decided to invest in a photovoltaic system. I want to offer my tenants cheap and green electricity and reduce the overall energy costs of my building. The contract is large and lucrative, but not easy to execute. All the companies I asked turned it down: they were fully booked and had no capacity for work until the end of 2023 (!).

Personal experiences of this kind can be heard everywhere. Trade and industry are desperately looking for skilled workers. The demographic development will intensify the shortage even more. At the same time, the energy turnaround has to be tackled, which will drive the order situation even higher. Skilled occupations in the craft trade are exciting and varied enough to attract apprentices to this non-academic career path. In addition, skilled workers from abroad can come to us and strengthen companies. We at sequa help with this - as always together with partners. In this issue of sequaForum, we report on initial success stories and plans for the future.

Gebhard Weiss
Managing Director sequa