Africa-Press – Cape verde. The lack of qualified workers has affected construction and catering on the island of Maio, largely due to the departure of young people from the island and the lack of professional training for those who remain.
According to contractor Henrique Adrião, his company has faced “frequent difficulties” due to a lack of professionals with adequate training, which directly affects the pace of construction.
“We have been experiencing a shortage of qualified bricklayers, carpenters and plumbers, we have a shortage of electricians and even drivers, which sometimes ends up affecting the progress of works,” he lamented.
In the tourism sector, the situation is no different and businessman Ricci Matia stated that the shortage of labor has affected both service and the food area.
“There is an exodus of young people from Maio and the few who remain are not always prepared for the demands of the market,” he noted.
Given this scenario, some companies have invested in internal training for their local employees as a way of filling gaps.
Others choose to recruit workers on other islands, such as Santiago, a practice that is increasingly common in the construction industry.
One example is the construction of the new Maio sea station, where most of those recruited come from outside the island.
The businesspeople questioned by Inforpress defend the urgency of local professional training, with courses in technical and operational areas, remembering that, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE), the unemployment rate among young people in Mai is around 25.5%.
Maio City Hall has expressed its intention to reopen the island’s Professional Training Center, but so far there are no concrete projects or defined deadlines for reactivating the infrastructure.
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