Construction Painting: An Increasingly Hard Job

Introduction

Construction painters have a tough job. Working in difficult environments with tight schedules is challenging on its own. With a construction sector that is expected to reach $US 15.2 trillion by 2030, the need for construction painters will only grow. In this article, we will highlight several aspects that make the work of painting contractors increasingly harder

A Physically Demanding Job

Whether you are a construction painter or not, you have probably painted yourself. If you have, you realized how tiring and physically demanding painting actually is. Professional painters do this day in and day out. This includes painting above shoulder height, awkward positions, and repetitive motions. All these actions are extremely demanding on one’s body and, over time, this can seriously affect painters’ health. This is a serious problem, as it not only affects the health of today’s painters but also affects the attractiveness of the trade.

The Increasing Labor Shortage

We established that painting is physically hard work and that it affects the attractiveness of the trade. Yet, it may be surprising to learn how dire the situation is. Up to 75% of European painting companies already report a serious painter labor shortage (4). It is for most companies hard to find professional painters to join their teams. And this will only get more difficult moving forward. Considering that, 25% of painters are already over 58 years old and only 7% are below 35, we will see more challenges for painting companies and construction painters. 

A simple thought experiment underlines the issue. We see an aging and shrinking workforce while the demand is growing. Simultaneously, painters within this aging workforce have decades of physically demanding tasks that have worn down their bodies. And it is not uncommon to hear about challenging environments while working on tight deadlines. How will painters meet this increasing demand?

Cost Management Challenges

Simultaneously, there is the challenge of rising costs. In 2021 and 2022, prices of paint skyrocketed, directly impacting the bottom line of construction painters. We have also seen massive challenges in global supply chains and volatile energy prices throughout the past years. All while labor costs are increasing. In the past decade, the average personnel costs in the sector rose by 9.2%. In an industry where cost management is crucial, rapidly increasing prices can be devastating. With ongoing projects, it suddenly requires new ideas to ensure that profit margins do not evaporate.

The Productivity Question

The construction sector as a whole has struggled with increasing productivity, with McKinsey’s research on construction productivity often being cited. In the past twenty years, the entire sector has only seen a 1% productivity increase. However, it is the specialized trades, including painting, that have significantly lower productivity levels, while 52% of all value added comes from these specialized trades. An aging and shrinking workforce cannot simply “work harder”. Instead, the answer lies in empowering construction painters and by extension making the trade more attractive.

A Solution

We need solutions that are built for construction painting. That work within existing on-site workflows and can operate in the challenging construction environment. These are solutions where the expertise of painters can be used, physical health can be improved, and productivity can be increased. And for painting companies to address the increasing labor shortage, strengthen bottom line results, and prepare for increasing sustainability needs.

This is what we do at ROICO Solutions. Developing a solution to empower construction painters. It is our purpose to realize a sustainable, productive, cost-effective, and worker empowering reality within the construction industry. We are focused on creating collaborative solutions - these are solutions that can work together with people on-site making their lives easier. You can find more about our solutions by going here.

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