The industry today — job opportunities, demand and future

Concrete layers are involved every time something is built or installed in Denmark. When a new road needs to be laid, a house needs to be cast, a bridge needs to be raised, or a square needs to be paved, the concrete layer is one of the ones who makes it happen. That makes the trade broad: you can work in many kinds of companies and on many kinds of projects.

• 01Contracting companies — from small local firms to large nationwide corporations
• 02Installation companies that build roads, pipelines, and infrastructure
• 03Paving companies that do squares pavements and driveways
• 04Concrete contractors who cast structures for construction
• 05Municipalities and utility companies that maintain roads and sewers

The construction and engineering industry is one of the industries where there has been a lack of skilled hands for several years. Housing must constantly be built renovated and infrastructure maintained and many of the experienced in the trade are approaching retirement. That means a newly trained constructor usually stands well — there is a need for both young people just entering and experienced people who can take responsibility.

The industry is in the midst of several changes that will also shape your working life as a structurer:

• 01Green transition — requirements for less CO2 in concrete and reuse of materials
• 02Climate adaptation — more projects with rainwater, sewers and cloudburst protection
• 03Digitalization — drawings and measurements move to screen GPS and machine control
• 04More recycling — old materials and stones get new life in new projects

It doesn't mean the trade becomes less physical or less crafts-based. But it means the skilled structural worker in the future must both know his craft and be up to speed with the technology and environmental requirements that come with it.

As a skilled structure worker you can stay on site and become the one the crew leans on — or you can take responsibility as a crew leader who leads a team. If you want to go further you can build on your education and move towards management planning or technical work. The next article covers that.

“There will always be a need for someone who can build — and it is difficult to move a construction site abroad.”