March 2018
Robots and the construction industry may not go together like a horse and carriage in parlour talk but, as digitalisation gathers pace, they look set to define Europe’s building sites in the next century.
Working in the building industry has long been characterised as a physically exhausting and rather low paid activity that lacked innovative drivers, according to the European Builders Confederation (EBC), the organisation representing construction SMEs and craftsmen in Europe.
“We have a skills shortage, an ageing workforce and the fundamental problem that young people do not consider the sector attractive enough,” said Eugenio Quintieri, the confederation’s Secretary General. “Construction is no longer a dusty sector where people just get their hands dirty. Digitalisation and the accompanying demand for higher-skilled workers will help to reach woman and young people, nowadays underrepresented in the sector.”
The wind of digitalization is sweeping through European construction sites. Let’s maximise the opportunities with the upcoming MFF negotiations to upskill our youth and support our SMEs – the EU must stand at the frontline of the global digitalization curve in the energy renovation sector to remain competitive.
Download the Renovate Europe Briefing 1/2018: Digitalisation, Disruption and the Energy Renovation Sector
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