We here at Femern Report have previously reported that The Lolland Municipality is among the municipalities that can look forward to the biggest problem with recruiting labour in just eight years. Towards 2030, Lolland Municipality’s working-age population will shrink by 10 per cent, according to a population projection from Danmarks Statistik. According to Dansk Erhverv, this could mean that Lolland and several other municipalities will run out of labour.
Must secure Danish labour
Femern Agency is Lolland Municipality’s advisory centre for consortia, subcontractors and other companies in daily work throughout the entire construction phase of the Femern project. Among other things, they work to ensure the largest possible share of Danish labour in the project.
However, it is not predicted that the Fehmarn construction site will lack manpower.
Lots of people
– There will, of course, be fewer people from Lolland. But now the Fehmarn project is a national project, so many people are coming from other places. There are also many people from Guldborgsund and southern Zealand who work in Rødbyhavn. What we experience is that the project has an attraction in itself. Of course, it is dangerous to go all the way to 2030, but I am hopeful for the coming years, says Per Bech Grønning, head of the Femern Agency.
However, the supply of apprentices on the project helps to ensure that many locals will continue to have jobs on the construction site.
Apprentices from Lolland-Falster
– We see many from Lolland and Falster employed as students or apprentices. After all, it helps to lift things a bit in the long run. Of the apprentices that FLC and Aarsleff have down there, a very large proportion come from Lolland-Falster. It is both young people and adult apprentices who are receiving vocational education, says Per Bech Grønning, who believes that the Fehmarn project is getting noticed in the latest regional statistics.
The proportion of concluded education agreements has increased by 8.7 per cent in Region Zealand. In comparison, nationally, there has only been an increase of 3.9 per cent from June 2021 to June 2022.
Fehmarn has a share
– It is not just the Fehmarn project, but Fehmarn has a share in it, Per Bech Grønning tells us, and continues:
– If you go in and look at the proportion of agreements concluded with constructors, it has increased by 13.9 per cent from June 2021 to June 2022 in Region Zealand. A great deal is in Rødbyhavn, where there are 25 construction apprentices. And it’s really interesting when it’s Region Zealand figures. Because, again, they also come from Guldborgsund and Vordingborg, but it is all something that benefits the Lolland-Falster region.
