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Norway in focus Young people driven by pragmatic concerns in their career choices
Young people are more pragmatic in their career decisions than corporates realise. When it comes to choosing a career, Norwegian corporates failed to recognise a host of practical concerns that students deemed essential. In particular, Gen Z place a high value on work-life balance (55% of students cite as ‘essential’ compared with 21% of corporates), career progression (55% compared with 21%), and job security (50% compared with 7%). Construction perceived by Gen Z as negative for the climate. Half (50%) of Norwegian students believe the construction industry has an overall net negative impact on the climate. This is a larger proportion than even natural resources and energy (36%) and manufacturing/industrial (27%). Only 18% of Norwegian students think that the sector has an overall positive impact on the climate.
01 Construction
Navigating the talent crisis 02 Employment growth
The construction sector is bouncing back following difficult years and heavy impact on profits 03 Gen Z Understanding what motivates the workforce of tomorrow 04 Closing the gap Aligning the construction industry with Gen Z’s aspirations 05 Proactively altering Gen Z’s perceptions Addressing the construction industry’s image problem 06 Refreshing the industry’s
Our construction research in Norway spans 14 corporate respondents and 22 Gen Z respondents. Highlights from our research in Norway include:
Supply chain pressures. 71% of Norwegian corporates reported that their organisation had suffered financial loss due to the insolvency of a contractor or supplier in the last twelve months, compared to 52% globally. 71% also reported supply chain disruptions as one of the biggest factors negatively impacting their profit in the same period, compared to 63% globally. Young people are unenthusiastic about the construction industry. Only 18% of Norwegian students say they are ‘very interested’ in pursuing a career in the construction sector, compared to 28% globally. As a result, 21% of corporates say they find it very difficult to attract and retain young professionals to a career in construction, compared to 14% globally.
“In the current challenging market conditions of the construction sector, we believe that companies who prioritise the attraction of future talent will remain competitive and profitable in the long term. We are surprised by how the lacking of clear ESG goals and strategy can significantly impact a company’s appeal to potential employees and hinder their ability to attract the skilled workers they need. While we are pleased to see some of our clients placing more importance on ESG practices, we urge the industry as a whole to prioritise these initiatives. Doing so will help companies secure top talent and meet future regulatory requirements.”
approach to recruitment, retention and diversity
07 Conclusion
BDO’s message to Gen Z Practical lessons for construction executives Countries in focus
Australia Belgium Brazil Canada Latin America The Netherlands New Zealand Norway South Africa USA 09 About BDO’s research 10 How BDO can help
Construction is perceived as low paid and risky by Gen Z. When assessing the biggest drawbacks to working in the construction sector, Norwegian students highlight two factors more than any others: the risk of injury (59%), and the low wages (55%).
Henning Dalsegg Partner, Industry Leader Building and Construction, BDO in Norway
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