Bermudian construction workers should consider retraining so they can do jobs being farmed out to foreigners, according to Junior Economy Minister Ashfield DeVent.Mr DeVent said out-of-work locals need to make sure they don’t get left behind as modern-day methods are used in major new projects about to commence on the Island.Construction boss Andy Pereira has warned the hospital and Waterloo House hotel redevelopments won’t save the crisis-struck industry because much of the work involves reinforced concrete, which requires overseas expertise.Reacting yesterday, Pembroke South East MP Mr DeVent said: “One thing it indicates to workers, which the Ministry has been saying as well, is people need to consider retraining and rethinking their positions in the industry.“More and more Bermudians need to go back and train themselves in new methods that are becoming part of construction.“They need to go and see what the new methods are, so they can’t say we don’t have Bermudians who can do this work.“There’s still quite a few foreigners here in the construction industry. As long as the employers can say we don’t have Bermudians, this will continue to happen.”Mr DeVent, who formerly worked in the construction industry himself, said training is available at Bermuda College, and if people need other specific courses they should lobby for them.Bermuda Employers’ Council says new work orders are less than ten percent of their level before the recession, with an estimated 2,000 construction workers currently unemployed.Mr DeVent said he was not surprised to learn of BEC’s damning assessment, explaining that historically Bermuda has experienced booms and lulls in construction.“Today I spoke to a guy who’s struggling. He’s been out of work for some time and can’t find himself any full-time employment,” he said.But he said some bosses are hiring from overseas even when there are qualified Bermudians and they unfairly claim it’s because locals are lazy.“Whether it’s just a perception or not, many of these people believe employers are leaning towards hiring foreigners,” he said.“It’s not necessary because they are not better trained or more suitable, it’s just that they prefer foreigners. Sometimes they will accept a lower wage or do more hours because generally they’re single and don’t have a family to worry about.“There are some Bermudians who don’t fulfil their role as an employee, because they are not giving the employer an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay. But I think that mindset is exaggerated.“The general concensus that Bermudians are lazy and unproductive workers bothers me. This Country wouldn’t be the Country it is without hard, hard working people. We see many Bermudians with two or three jobs to get by.“It’s a concept used by greedy employers.”