Swiss SMEs in construction: 3 ways to find top workers

Problem: finding good workers in Swiss construction is difficult, and SMEs compete with large companies that can offer more.

Solution: three strategies accessible to SMEs: financial mastery to pay well, direct selection and online presence.

Result: find and keep the right people, even without a large company's budget.

"I can't find good people"

This is the sentence I hear most often from construction business owners in Switzerland, regardless of region. Maintaining a stream of projects is one thing. Finding the people who can do the work is another.

The situation in Swiss construction has structural causes: demographic decline, baby boomer retirement wave, competition from other sectors offering more attractive working hours. But there are SMEs that do find good people. What do they do differently?

Way 1: Know your finances so you can pay competitively

The first reason SMEs lose the battle for talent: they don't know how much they can afford to pay. So they stick to the collective bargaining agreement minimums and lose the best profiles to larger competitors.

The logic should be reversed: if a good worker brings 15% more productivity than an average worker, how much is that worth in francs? If a top fitter costs 265 € more per month but allows you to win a project every two weeks that a mediocre worker would lose, the investment is positive.

The problem: without management control, you don't know whether a given worker actually creates more value. So you make salary decisions by gut.

Three concrete things that make a job offer more attractive:

For SMEs, the main card is often not the salary but what surrounds it: flexibility, quality of the working environment, growth prospects.

Way 2: Direct selection, led by the owner

The most common recruitment strategy: post a job ad on the usual platforms (Indeed, LinkedIn) and wait.

The problem: on those platforms you're competing with hundreds of other positions. The best profiles often already have a job and aren't actively looking. They won't come to you.

Direct selection works differently. You identify who you want and approach them directly.

Where to start:

• Industry associations and trade shows: In Switzerland there are sector associations (Suissetec, SBV etc.) with events and networks. Anyone who participates actively meets qualified professionals in an informal setting.
• Direct LinkedIn outreach: For management profiles, technicians and planners. Not "we have an open position." But a personal message explaining why you think the profile might be a fit.
• Referrals from existing workers: Who has your best fitter ever mentioned working well with? "Who would you recommend if we were looking for someone?" People who work well know others who work well.
• Honest local ad: Not the generic "looking for a fitter." But "We are a business that does [what you do] and specialises in [xy]. We're looking for someone with [specific qualities]. Here's why it makes sense to work with us."

The difference: you're not waiting for someone to come to you. You're going to the person you want.

Way 3: An online presence that attracts good workers

This is the most underestimated aspect of recruitment. A good fitter looking for a new employer does exactly what a potential client does: searches online, checks social media, reads reviews.

If your company is invisible or appears unprofessional online, you get eliminated from the selection process before you've even spoken to the candidate.

What counts:

For a few hours of work (a decent website, a few posts per month) you build a perception that radically changes the quality of candidates who contact you.

BAU Agent

Consistent online marketing, including for recruitment

BAU Agent manages your company's social media and online image. Prospective workers also see an active, professional company.

See how it works

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Why the best SMEs recruit better than large companies

A provocation: for some professionals, an SME is more attractive than a large company. Not despite its size, but because of it.

In an SME, the worker has more autonomy, works more directly with management, has more impact on results and sees their work concretely affecting the business. In a large company they're often one of many numbers.

If you communicate this (in the job ad, in the interview, on the website), you attract exactly the type of people you want: autonomous, motivated, ready to take responsibility.

If you want to understand how to find the right people for your business

Book 30 minutes with us. We'll analyse your current situation together (salary structure, online presence, recruitment process) and show you what can be changed immediately. No commitment, no cost.