engleski

Impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the operation of construction companies in the Czech Republic

The Covid-19 pandemic has significantly impacted national economies worldwide. In order to prevent the spread of the virus, governments were often forced to take action and impose certain restrictive measures. The extent of the particular measures adopted differs from country to country, as well as among the individual sectors of the economy with regard to the possibility of the spread of the virus. This paper contains a study of how the Covid-19 pandemic has affected the operation of Czech construction companies. Data from the construction industry were collected during February and March 2021 using a web-based questionnaire survey. Consequently, the data cover both the first and the second state of emergency (with the associated lockdowns) declared in the Czech Republic. A total of 120 construction contractors took part in the survey. Furthermore, interviews with 10 experts in the field were conducted. The results revealed a slight decrease in sales ; however, in many other aspects, construction companies managed to adapt to the government restrictions quite successfully. These adaptations included very limited layoffs of employees and working from home for a limited number of administrative staff. A vast majority of companies did not have to suspend their operations at all. The measures had a greater impact on large companies employing foreign workers and on projects which were more demanding in terms of supply of special equipment, as well as on projects implemented outside the Czech Republic. As the pandemic did not affect the construction sector significantly, only a limited number of respondents reported participation in government aid programs aimed at companies whose business had been severely restricted by the governmental measures.

construction ; contractor ; COVID-19 ; restrictive measures ; lockdown ; operation ; pandemic

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