"There is a positive movement going on in the tech industry."

Sven Asijee is director of We Technology, the training and development fund for the technical installation industry. According to him, what are the challenges in the labor market and where are the opportunities?

Velox (V): What is the state of the technical labor market?

Sven Asijee (SA): "Technical courses are picking up, so that's going well. What is not going well yet is that the outflow is too high. Some 17,000 people are leaving the sector every year. This is very common in several industries when jobs are up for grabs. In addition, people are always retiring and in better economic times people change jobs more. But it also has to do with aspects such as: is there a pleasant working environment? Do I have enough control over my own working hours? There is room for improvement here. You also see this when we look at the composition of the workforce in the sector. Only eleven percent are women. That is far too few and that is a pity. And in this too, our sector is not unique."

Q: How come?

SA: "Surely it has to do with things like: do I feel comfortable in this work environment? Is the construction site clean and tidy, is there a ladies' room? As an employer you have to make sure that there is a good landing spot. By the way, there are also companies that do this very well huh; where people are at the door asking if they can work there."

Q: So being a good employer is something that needs some attention here and there?

SA: "Definitely, so a little more focus on people. Are you comfortable in your skin? How can we help you? Of course, this is easy shouting from the sidelines; the work practice is more complicated. Because in construction, a project has to be finished, so the pace is often high. On the other hand, you can also say, 'We're going to take a little more time for each other now. Then you can also get it done quickly'."

Q: Why is it important to have more women in the tech sector?

SA: "I think every company should be a reflection of society. Moreover, it is a huge opportunity for the industry to focus more on women in the tight labor market. The other day I heard someone say, 'We're only looking for people who want to work sixty hours a week.' Then I say, 'If that's what you're looking for, stop complaining that you can't find people.'"

Q: Because there are plenty of people?

SA: "Yes. We often tend to look at what someone cannot do, but let's look at what someone can do. And how can you organize your work so that you can use those competencies? For example, I recently spoke to a company where they hired a cook as a project leader. This cook, for example, has good project leadership skills. He can plan, perform under time pressure, manage people. Such skills can be very useful for a technical company. That real engineering, someone else will pick up on that."

Q: So you are positive?

SA: "Definitely. There is a positive movement going on, people want to get back into the technical sector. Some want to go in-depth with engineering, others want to make a meaningful contribution to sustainability - it's all possible in our industry. The inflow is well underway, now we just have to reduce the outflow. The sector now has twenty thousand open vacancies and 21 thousand are coming in every year. One year of no more outflow and the problem is solved, you might say."