What is like to work in... the building and construction sector

The construction sector has always been a strategic sector in regional, national and European economies, in particular due to the high number of employees in the supply chain itself, as well as to the growing number of new players, the potential development innovation attributed to it from other supply chains such as the energy market and ICT.
Whether it concerns new constructions or processes of regeneration and recovery of existing buildings, this sector involves a growing number of actors who often operate at a local level and constitute a fabric of micro and small businesses; therefore economic operators often have different economic objectives and different needs (source: Clust-ER Build).

Analyzing the data of Skills Intelligence Emilia-Romagna of the building and construction sector it is interesting to observe that, from July 2023 to June 2024, 49.076 online job advertisements were published, i.e. 9,83% of the total online advertisements offered in the regional territory, with a decrease of 7,6% compared to the previous year.

The most sought after professional profiles, considering the ESCO level 1 categories, belong to technicians and associate professionals (38,4%), craft and related trades workers (21,7%), professionals (20,6%).

The five most sought after professional profiles (ESCO level 4) of the Professionals (ESCO level 1)

Let’s delve into the most sought-after skills and profiles at specialized levels.

Taking into consideration only the group of professionals (ESCO level 1), the top five most sought after professional profiles (ESCO level 4) are:

1. engineering professionals - 19,7% of the total ads in E-R
2. electronics engineers - 10,3%
3. mechanical engineers - 10,0%
4. industrial and production engineers - 7,5%
5. systems analysts - 6,3%

All of these profiles are of high or medium high difficulty of finding according to the Excelsior classification.
This means that in Emilia-Romagna there is a high need for engineers in the building and construction sector, but the profiles necessary to fill this gap are lacking.

In the province of Ferrara, specifically, the most sought after professional profiles (ESCO level 4) are:

1. engineering professionals - 59 in the last 12 months
2. electronics engineers
3. mechanical engineers
4. industrial and production engineers
5. electronics engineers

So, if you have a professional profile that falls within those listed above, the province of Ferrara could offer great opportunities to you.

If, however, your profile is not yet among the most sought after, but you would like to delve deeper into the building and construction industry, you can find in Emilia-Romagna many training opportunities, these are the best in the region:

Architettura Rigenerazione Sostenibilità (University of Parma) – degree course;

Construction and Land Management (University of Modena and Reggio Emilia) – a professional degree course member of the University School for Technical Professions, Emilia-Romagna (SUPER).

ITS Territorio Energia Costruire – five courses for higher technicians.