December 7, 2016

Forget White Collars! Craftsmen Are the New Aristocracy

“Would you like to take a cup of coffee? Or do you prefer cold beer? No, don’t worry about taking your shoes off…” When you reach one of the plumbers or repairmen and manage to make an appointment in next 14 days, you treat these handy angels like they were the real ones.

You take a day-off or two, get up early and wait for them to fly down to Earth between 8 AM and 2 PM and appear at your door. If they don’t come, you understand that they are too busy because there are too many simple human beings such as you that need to be saved from drowning in the water leaking from a washing machine or from freezing to death when the heating stops working and it’s -20° C outside. Latest stats from Businessinfo.cz show that 84 % of clients find the work of Czech craftsmen good and don’t feel any reason to complain.

70% of Czech students are in vocational education

The number of young people studying crafts is stable; the demand for handy craftsmen however tops their numbers. 9 out of 10 Czechs think that the handicrafts have very good perspective in the future. A great advantage for skillful locksmiths, electricians, bricklayers, and all kinds of repairmen is that the age doesn’t decrease their chances in the job market – handy and experienced craftsmen get even more calls since they have built up their clients’ base. It’s no secret that the ones with good references earn more than doctors or managers.

Not every apprentice becomes a successful craftsman

Oddly enough, incredible 61% of the Czech apprentices register at the labor office when they finish vocational school. How is this possible when the demand is high and the salaries attractive? Not everyone has what it takes. Craftsmen and craftswomen often work as freelancers with “Zivnostensky list” or run their own businesses. To succeed, the craftsmen need not only being good with their tools, but also with papers, accounting, and organization; not mentioning other matters such as hiring right coworkers or marketing.

Another explanation for a high demand for craftsmen is that the Czech professionals are tempted by salaries in the neighboring countries – many of the “golden Czech hands” work in construction industries in Germany, Ireland, or such distant destinations as Saudi Arabia.

The consumers’ expectations rise as well. In past, clients appreciated that the job was well done; nowadays people consider more factors – timeliness, cleanness of work, and good customer service. The biggest challenge for the future craftsmen will be working with new technologies and the Internet of Things.

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