Employment in the construction sector grows twice as quickly between 60 years than among young people
The construction sector afflicts the aging of labor. The occupation in this area, which represents 5.2% of GDP, has advanced in the last year, but has done it especially among older workers. Employment between 60 years has grown almost double fast as among young peopleaccording to a report from the Industrial Construction Observatory (IIC) released Tuesday by the Construction Labor Foundation (FLC) in which the main indicators of a sector whose added value has increased 3.3% in the last year is analyzed.
He number of workers dedicated to construction stood at 1.5 million In the first quarter of 2025, registering an increase of 4.3% compared to the previous year for the same dates. They are data from the Active Population Survey (EPA) collected by the OIC, which also reflect a decrease in the volume of unemployed people of 9.1% with a total of 116,958 unemployed. Also the social security affiliation data attests to the creation of employment in the construction sector, which closed the month of May with 1.45 million workers discharged, 2.6% more than in the same month of 2024.
Of this total volume of employees, those under 30 and those over 60 represent a very similar proportion. According to data disseminated by the IIC, Young people total 147,573 workers and suppose 10% of the sectorvery close to 9% representing the most veterans (132,930 people). However, in the most advanced age strip employment grows at a greater rhythm. The number of workers Over 60 years in the construction sector, 15.5% has increased with respect to the early 2024while that of less than 30 has increased by 8.4%.
More and more people in construction arrive at the strip closer to retirement. The bulk of workers in the sector brings together between 30 and 59 years, where 1.2 million workers are concentrated. However, based on EPA data, it is estimated that A sixth part of these workers is concentrated between 55 and 59 years. Along these lines, a study published by the BBVA Research Real Estate Observatory in June pointed out that more than 55% of workers in the construction sector exceeds 45 years.
The National Association of Ceramic Distributors and Construction Materials (Andimac) has denounced on Tuesday in a statement that the aging of the labor in construction is diminishing the productivity of a sector that, as they calculate, has a deficit of 700,000 workers. “One of the keys to Relieve the shortage of qualified templates would go to create alliances with professional training centers “the employers think.
The report released by the FLC – including employers and unions – indicates that the number of contracts signed in the sector so far this year has decreased 2.7% with respect to 2024, a fall that contrasts with the increase in affiliation and that could point to a change in the type of employment, with more indefinite contracts. In occupations where the decrease has been noticed, it has been between painters and wallpapers and pawns of public works, with setbacks of 8.5% and 6.6% respectively and 8,530 and 18,777 contracts signed between January and May. The bulk of hiring in the first five months of the year were masons (97,639) and pawns For the construction of buildings (63,256), to which 14,142 electrician contracts, 9,048 formwork and 7,941 of mounts, among other trades, were added.
More activity
In addition, the FLC highlights the “positive” evolution of the number of women Affiliates, although they are still a minority. According to Social Security affiliation data, the volume of women dedicated to the construction sector has increased 4.1% in the last year, between May 2024 and the same month of 2025, but there are still 166,706 and They represent only 11.5% of the total.
On the other hand, the report also points to a slight increase of 1% in the number of companies dedicated to construction. In total, according to data from the Ministry of Labor, 143,839 are counted at the end of May, of which 141,679 are small businesses of less than 50 workers (71,805 companies between one and two). Companies of more than 250 workers have increased by 13.4% in the last year, although there are only 178.
The data collected in the report underpin the growth of employment in construction on an increase in activity in the sector. The number of work visas has increased in the first quarter by 17% Interranual, with 36,102 authorizations to lift new construction buildings and 6,254 for rehabilitations. Likewise, the public works tender has grown 25.3% in the last year, pushed by the impulse of the three state, autonomic and local administrations.
