Poles Punch Out of Cheap Labor Era, Risking Profit Decline
- Jobless rate at lowest since 1991 puts pressure to raise wages
- Tight labor market is key impediment to growth, SocGen says
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In a cavernous hall at Danwood SA three hours east of Warsaw, a worker in gray overalls hunkered over a keyboard, making computer-driven cuts into a six-meter roof joist in a fraction of the time once needed with hand-operated electric saws.
That creates its own set of problems for Chief Executive Officer Jaroslaw Jurak. Though robotic technology makes it possible for the Polish turnkey home builder to boost output by as many as 200 homes a year, Jurak’s company is struggling to find enough staff to meet that goal. Without extra help, he may have to downscale his plans, despite the time-saving methods.