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Antun Trojnar i Adolf Cvanciger
Episode · #585

IZ OBRTNIČKE RADIONICE Antun Trojnar i Adolf Cvanciger

Guest Antun Trojnar i Adolf CvancigerHosted by Boris ŽivkovićMay 3, 2026
About this episode
What you'll hear in this conversation

The public perception of manual trades often lags far behind their economic reality. While many still view professions like construction or butchery as 'lower-class,' the truth on the ground in Croatia reveals a sector where skilled labor is scarce, well-compensated, and essential. This conversation cuts through the outdated stereotypes to examine the systemic challenges facing Croatian trades. Antun Trojnar, a construction entrepreneur with 35 years of experience, and Adolf Cvanciger, owner of a Sisak-based cured meat business, both serve as vice-presidents of the Croatian Chamber of Trades and Crafts. They offer a dual perspective: the daily struggle of finding qualified hands and the broader policy failures that created this shortage. They explain how decades of neglect in vocational education have led to a critical lack of skilled workers, forcing businesses to rely on foreign labor and adapt their expectations. Listeners will learn why the current labor crisis is a long-term consequence of past policy choices, and what it truly takes to build a sustainable workforce in the trades today. This isn't just about filling jobs; it's about valuing the tangible work that builds and feeds a nation.

Insights from the conversation
What to take from this episode
01
Antun Trojnar, a construction veteran, observes that 'construction was always a lower-class profession, unfortunately with a bad public perception,' despite offering a good living. The real value of manual labor isn't in its perceived social status, but in its ability to provide a stable livelihood and create tangible, lasting results that workers can see and measure.
02
Adolf Cvanciger points to the decline of vocational education, noting that 'in former Yugoslavia, Petrinja had the strongest butcher school. Today, it's virtually gone or on its knees.' The current labor shortage isn't a sudden crisis, but the predictable outcome of decades of neglecting specialized vocational training; building a skilled workforce is a long-term process, not a quick fix.
03
For his butchers to become masters, Cvanciger insists they 'must work — without work, there's nothing: no skill, no training, no daily repetition.' Vocational skills are built through relentless hands-on practice and constant repetition, not just theoretical instruction; classrooms teach principles, but the workshop builds true mastery.
04
Trojnar highlights that 'today, the differences in hourly rates between Croatia and Western Europe are too small... the difference is about ten percent in salary.' As wage gaps narrow, factors like proximity to home and social connections become decisive for retaining workers, shifting the competitive landscape from pure compensation to quality of life.
05
Most working people, Trojnar says, 'prefer a ten percent lower salary to sleep in their own bed and meet friends for coffee or a beer after work. Abroad, that doesn't exist.' Beyond salaries, the intangible value of community, social life, and home comforts is a significant factor in worker retention, often outweighing marginal pay differences.
06
Cvanciger notes that 'Croatia, even before the war, was a big consumer of foreign labor... And that tradition continues now.' The current reliance on foreign labor isn't a new phenomenon but a continuation of a long-standing pattern, exacerbated by ongoing demographic challenges rather than a sudden shift in the labor market.
07
The Croatian Chamber of Trades and Crafts has recently shifted focus, with Trojnar explaining they've 'turned more towards our membership... to first and foremost inform them what the Chamber does.' Even effective advocacy organizations must actively communicate their value to members; impact alone isn't enough if it remains invisible to those it serves.
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