SKILLS MISSING ON THE LABOUR MARKET

What are the effects of the shortage of skilled workers in technology and which skills are missing on the labor market? What skills will be in demand in the future?

Furthermore, COVID is confronting companies with a multitude of challenging dynamics at the same time: The pandemic is acting as an accelerant, mercilessly revealing weaknesses in companies.

A total of 35 executives from the building sector answered questions. The focus was on the value chain of smart building technologies.

The result is a map of the current challenges, but also of the lessons learned from the pandemic, which are important drivers for resilience and crisis resistance. However, it also highlights the areas for action and the possible consequences if no measures are taken.

You will also find solutions in it – either analyzed from the interviews or from further studies and surveys. The sources can be found in the appendix.

TO THE SURVEY (only in German)
Key Findings (only in German)

ENERGY TRANSITION & DECARBONIZATION: OPPORTUNITY & CHALLENGE

The future topics of decarbonization, energy transition and climate change, as well as the digitalization of our society, are both a source of hope and a challenge at the same time: They represent a fundamental transformation of the sectors, as the way we build and renovate is completely changing. Influences include upcoming climate regulations and 5G communication technologies, the fundamental digitalization of the entire work process, and technological development.

For example: Energy production used to be in the hands of a few companies, but the energy transition represents the democratization of the energy world. Companies and end consumers are now becoming ‘prosumers’: They use the energy they produce themselves to the highest possible extent, feeding it into a battery or the grid.

In light of the changes, the development of new business models is necessary: The progressive networking of specialist areas is changing the way we work. The future belongs to collaboration: In a networked building, it is essential to develop joint solutions with the maximum load-bearing capacity with the sectors involved. It is important to form the right interdisciplinary teams and collaborations for this.

THAT'S WHY YOU
NEED NEW SKILLS

In a networked building, a wide range of sectors and trades work together to develop solutions. We are looking for “world-shifters” who can network these different trades and sectors with each other. Similarly, the trend is moving away from standard solutions towards a customer market and thus towards individual solutions.

This means that soft skills are increasingly coming into focus. These include emotional intelligence, self-reflection and the ability to work together. It is also no longer enough to understand the company, the products and the processes: We now need employees who understand the customers and speak their language.

These “world converters” are neither trained nor defined today. Likewise, the handover of interfaces and which trade is responsible for what – for example in a warranty case – has not yet been clarified. In the face of these challenges, several interview partners concluded: “We are running out of time.”

Basically, due to the higher complexity of the systems, the qualifications move up one level. The demand for unskilled employees is thus reduced.

'NEW WORK', DIVERSITY
& REQUALIFICATION

In companies, cultures are colliding: On the one hand, the “old” team, on the other hand, the young generation that demands “new work”. Today’s world of work is less and less appealing to young people. Companies are challenged to become attractive for a young generation that ticks completely differently.

We are also now paying the price for our lack of affinity with technology: While our lives are shaped by technological innovations, there is a shortage of qualified personnel and young talent.

Diversity and requalification is a major challenge, but also an opportunity to counteract the shortage of skilled workers. What this means is that companies can make better use of the potential offered by the domestic labor market if they position themselves as diverse and open to new target groups that have not been on their radar as potential employees. This puts them in a position to gain an advantage over their competitors.

These target groups include women, older employees, and job seekers who are no longer sufficiently qualified.

TAKING PEOPLE
ALONG

Technology will make many things easier for us and offer solutions to future challenges.

But only humans can fundamentally change systems. Through our decisions and the sensible application and work with these new technologies.

Whether we as a society can meet the enormous challenges of technological development and digitization, energy system transformation and decarbonization depends in essential points not (only) on financial support and investments in technologies.

It is now essential to take people with us on this rapid journey: Only with competent personnel who are aware of the changes in the market and who proactively work on the challenges, can the transformation of the building sector be navigated.

It is equally important to address the end consumers: They will become an essential part of the energy transition and the decarbonization of our society. However, this is only possible if they are aware of it – and get to know these new possibilities and opportunities that these technologies offer and can make informed decisions about them.

CHANGE: OUR
PERMANENT COMPANION

COVID has triggered changes that would otherwise have taken years: Our working and living environments have undergone massive and, above all, lasting changes. The pandemic has been the driving force behind innovation and digitization. What was previously static is now in motion.

At the same time, the pandemic is a challenging time: Companies are losing access to customers, entire sectors – such as the severely affected hospitality and tourism industries – have collapsed from one day to the next.

Due to the high level of uncertainty in the markets and among end consumers, many projects are being postponed. Companies are losing their ability to plan and forecast as a result. These developments are particularly challenging for SMEs, and the gap between them and large companies is widening as a result.

The market survey addresses the question of how companies are responding to the rapid developments. And what strengths and newly acquired skills do they want to cultivate for the future?

TO THE SURVEY (only in German)
Key Findings (only in German)