TecLine seeks the borders of Europe

Almost all branches run into an overheated labor market. Also the technical sector. TecLine supplies flexible staff, more and more from Central and Eastern Europe. But there too the labor market is changing …

Higher wages
The technical sector is broad. Whether it concerns installation companies or shipyards, the food industry or water extraction and treatment: technicians are everywhere day in, day out, busy to get things going and keep running. But there is a huge shortage of well-trained, experienced and motivated technicians. Therefore, companies desperately try to find and bind them. Technicians are temporarily hired on a project basis. TecLine provides flexible staff in many industries. Given the scarcity of Dutch people in these sectors, director Paul Muller has been hiring in Central and Eastern Europe for many years. ‘In the past we tempted Groningers and Frisians to pass the Afsluitdijk. Then we moved further east. To Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, Romania, Bulgaria. We have now arrived at the edges of Europe. That is very special.’

However, the time that you could bring people from Central and Eastern Europe to work here for little pay is long gone. ‘There too, the economy is growing and the pressure on the labor market is increasing. In the Czech Republic, for example, wages in the car industry have increased by almost a quarter in just a few years. That says a lot.’

Refresh, be creative
And now? On to Asia? Waiting for the next financial crisis? Pay better wages? Muller thinks that paying better is inevitable. ‘The differences in pay between Western and Eastern Europe are getting smaller and smaller. Of course you can still get people from Central and Eastern Europe, but you have to make them more attractive. This can be done by paying more, but also by giving them longer contracts and ensuring good accommodation. They must have the idea that they are welcome, that they belong. That they are not second-class citizens, let alone intruders who take our jobs away. That requires a different attitude. Do they want a twelve-hour working day, for example? Make it possible. Do they want to live together in a former asylum seekers’ center? Get it done. Do they want a six-month contract instead of two months? Do not be fussy, cherish them. Entrepreneurship is innovation, being creative, taking risks. ‘

Thanks to an extensive network, TecLine has access to well-trained, experienced and motivated technicians from Central and Eastern Europe. The Netherlands is not the only country where the economy is booming …