Taking blue-collar careers seriously

The concerns about a shortage of health workers and IT professionals have spread broadly within society. But what about construction workers? They potentially the most crucial people as they build the infrastructure and buildings we need to live and work, travel and commute, heal and learn.

“Skilled blue-collar candidates deserve to be sourced actively, receive competitive compensation for their hard work and build up fulfilling careers. We can’t afford them struggling with paperwork or leaving their field due to underwhelming career outlooks. This is why we built Kollabo”, says Manuel Inauen, Co-Founder and CEO of Kollabo SA. That is also why Kollabo puts the candidates at the center of their mediation service. To additionally speed up the process, Kollabo implements technology that helps find the best fit between employee and employer and makes the process easier to manage.

As so often, focus is a success factor for a young business. The fact that Kollabo has been building its expertise and network specifically within the building sector is paying off. Kollabo is consistently growing and boldly following its ambition of becoming the leading digital ecosystem for craftsmen in Europe. Founded in 2018, Kollabo has already grown to now being a significant player in the Swiss market, expanding into the DACH region and beyond. The company was awarded the SEF.Growth label in March 2023, which shall help to accomplish its mission on a European scale. “The label will be beneficial for the financing and acquiring new customers as it gives us credibility,” says Manuel Inauen.

It’s not just an issue in Switzerland: companies across Europe struggle to hire skilled blue-collar workers. But the traditional recruiting process via job ads and agencies is massively outdated. And active sourcing platforms like LinkedIn do not exist for blue-collar workers. Innovative solutions are necessary since Europe will lack at least 1,64 million workers by 2030. Kollabo has developed a digital yet personal approach to solving this problem for the workers as well as the companies. 

A matching technology and a big pool of hiring companies allow workers to hand in their application just once. Kollabo shares it within no time with the best matching companies and job descriptions. Also, personal contact with Kollabo’s team members enables applicants to receive individual support. The personal touch is valued a lot. Reviews of Kollabo users are full of words like reliable, compassionate, helpful, and friendly – words of praise that the Kollabo team indeed receives for a good reason.