Europe’s construction sector could face a shortage of up to 4 million workers by 2030, but this figure increasingly fails to capture the real challenge. The industry is changing so rapidly that it is no longer just people who are in short supply, but also the skills and competencies that, until recently, were hardly needed in construction at all. This fundamentally changes the question facing the sector—not how many employees will be needed, but what kind of employees and how they can be developed.
The construction industry is evolving faster than the labor market can adapt.
According to international organizations, this transformation is structural. The World Economic Forum estimates that by 2027, 44% of workers’ skills will require significant updating, with construction among the fastest-changing sectors. At the same time, Europe’s renovation wave is increasing the scale and complexity of projects, while McKinsey & Company estimates that digitization could improve the sector’s productivity by as much as 50–60%.
These figures indicate more than growth—they reveal a fundamental change in the nature of construction work itself. Projects are becoming increasingly dependent on coordination, information management, and real-time decision-making.
“If a construction project was primarily a physical process a decade ago, today it is first and foremost a process of managing information and decisions. Every project generates enormous amounts of data—from design to delivery—and the ability to understand and utilize that data is becoming a critical competitive advantage. International studies clearly show that many of today’s skills will become insufficient in the coming years, and we are already seeing this in practice. Technical knowledge alone is no longer enough; broader, systems-based thinking and specialized competencies that were previously unnecessary are now essential,” says Aistė Grigaitienė, Director of Administration at Gilesta.
From Physical Work to Data- and Technology-Driven Decision-Making
As the industry transforms, so does the definition of valuable expertise. Increasingly, key decisions are made before physical construction begins—through modeling, forecasting, and evaluating different scenarios. This enables more accurate cost, schedule, and risk management, but it also requires a very different type of specialist.
Today’s construction projects depend more and more on the ability to work with data, technology, and complex systems—from digital models to energy-efficiency solutions. As a result, the sector now requires skills that have traditionally been associated with IT and analytics rather than construction.
“In Lithuania, there is still a strong focus on educating construction engineers, and that remains important. However, limiting ourselves to that approach today would be short-sighted. Projects are changing—they involve more technology, more data, and more analytics. Naturally, this raises the question: where will we find the people who can work with all of this? This is not just a construction engineering issue,” says A. Grigaitienė.
According to her, this shift is already changing the way companies search for talent.
“A great example is our participation in the Vilnius University Career Fair, where we were one of very few construction companies represented. Why? Because Vilnius University does not train construction engineers, but it does educate data analysts, IT specialists, and people who understand systems and information. If construction is becoming a data-driven industry, we must be where these people are and show them that the construction sector can be just as exciting and meaningful for them as any technology company,” she says.
According to A. Grigaitienė, the industry is currently experiencing a clear turning point: more and more decisions are being made based on modeling, calculations, and analysis rather than solely on experience.
“This is changing both team structures and individual roles within projects. If the greatest value once lay in the ability to perform a specific function, today it increasingly lies in the ability to see the entire process, understand the impact of different decisions, and work with information. This is not some future vision—it is already reality. And it is directly affecting business performance: companies that can make informed decisions faster are able to plan projects more accurately, reduce errors, and manage resources more efficiently.”
Gilesta Academy: When Business Develops the Specialists It Needs
The growing demand for new competencies also highlights another challenge—the education system cannot adapt as quickly as the sector is changing. As a result, more and more companies are looking for ways to develop the specialists they need themselves.
Gilesta is addressing this challenge through a long-term initiative, Gilesta Academy, which focuses on the continuous development of young professionals and their integration into real work environments.
“We quickly realized that the market simply cannot prepare the specialists we need today at the pace required. Instead of waiting, we chose to become part of the solution ourselves. We work with students from their very first professional steps—we invite them to lectures, organize site visits, offer internships, and connect them with our team. This allows them not only to gain theoretical knowledge but also to understand how modern construction projects actually work,” says A. Grigaitienė.
According to her, this approach helps create a sustainable talent pipeline while also changing perceptions of the construction sector itself.
“Many young people still imagine construction as a highly traditional industry based primarily on physical labor. The reality is completely different—it is a complex, dynamic, and technology-driven sector. Our goal is to show this transformation as early as possible and help young people find their place within it,” she concludes.