Materials increase, labor is hard to find
On May 16, the Gia Lai Provincial Construction Investment Project Management Board said that as of May 7, 2026, the project of 7 border school areas has only reached about 42% of the construction contract value; in which, 6/7 school sites are behind schedule.
According to the Provincial Construction Investment Project Management Board, the simultaneous implementation of many public investment projects is creating great pressure on construction human resources.
Although contractors have increased machinery and added labor, the progress of many projects has not yet met requirements.
To retain workers, many units have to set up camps right at the construction site, rent more people's houses and support living expenses. Not only is there a shortage of unskilled labor, contractors also lack skilled workers in stages such as formwork, welding iron, electricity, water and construction completion.
Along with that, strong fluctuations in construction material prices also increase financial pressure when many types of materials increase by 20-40%.
Increase labor costs, set up camps at construction sites
Faced with the risk of not completing the project in time to serve the new school year, the Provincial Construction Investment Project Management Board has proposed to the Provincial People's Committee to consider mobilizing military forces to support construction personnel.
However, this also gives rise to some problems, because manual labor, manual labor or construction work can compensate.
But for skilled workers with many years of experience in construction, plastering mortar, and mixing hồ according to standards to ensure long-lasting construction quality, it is quite scarce, not easy to find in "one morning or one afternoon".
Mr. Ha An, a contractor, shared: "Workers with skillful plastering skills also need 5-6 years of experience, familiar with the job. Meanwhile, these workers are very difficult to find, they are both few and mostly old. While young workers mainly do part-time loading and unloading, transportation is the main job.
At the Inter-level Boarding School project in Ia O commune, there is currently a shortage of about 40 workers to meet construction requirements. The contractor must mobilize human resources from many provinces such as Thanh Hoa, Nghe An... ; and at the same time provide additional food and accommodation to retain workers.
However, many people coming to the construction site see that the area is remote and the working conditions are difficult, so they ask to take leave. Labor costs have also increased very sharply, general labor is currently about 450,000-500,000 VND/day, and main masons are about 600,000-700,000 VND/day.
Over the past time, the Gia Lai provincial government has organized meetings related to fluctuations in gasoline and oil prices, and raw materials. The province has identified "harmonious benefits, shared risks", and key project construction enterprises must continue to stick to the construction site, accelerate progress, and not stop construction because of price increases.
The border school project is being implemented in 7 communes: Ia Mo, Ia Puch, Ia Pnon, Ia Nan, Ia Dom, Ia Chia and Ia O, with a total investment of more than 1,500 billion VND, on an area of nearly 52 hectares. When completed, the projects are expected to serve more than 7,000 students in border areas, where learning conditions are still lacking and the area is remote.
The project is implemented according to Notice Conclusion No. 81-TB/TW dated July 18, 2025 of the Politburo and Resolution No. 298/NQ-CP dated September 26, 2025 of the Government on investment in building schools in border communes.
Schools are built synchronously, including learning areas, dormitories, cafeterias, teacher dormitories and modern and friendly technical infrastructure systems. Thereby fully meeting the requirements of teaching and boarding for ethnic minority students in border areas.
