In recent years, skilled labor has been hard to come by for construction managers. It seems there just aren’t enough construction workers for managers to keep projects running on schedule.
The demand for construction is booming but the lack of skilled labor within the construction industry has many building projects on standstill. The U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics shows that in 2018, there were nearly 225,000 job openings in the construction industry each month.
According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce statistics, nine out of 10 contractors report having a skilled labor shortage. This is a serious problem not only for construction managers but for the U.S. economy in general. The same report revealed that the commercial construction industry adds more than $700 billion to the U.S. economy each year.
What is the solution to the shortage of skilled construction workers? There is no simple answer, but the solution begins by redefining how society views these types of jobs. In times past, ‘hard-hat’ type jobs have been viewed as low-paying and undesirable. Since fewer young adults are pursuing careers in the construction industry, funding for training in high schools and higher education has been cut. Without these essential training programs, the U.S. will see fewer young adult workers enter the construction industry.
This is evident in recent statistics from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, which show the median age for workers in the construction industry is 42.6, only 1.8% of construction workers are age 19 or younger, and less than 9.4% are below age 25.
The construction industry has an aging work pool. As skilled construction workers age and retire, the result is a lack of skilled workers within the industry. For the U.S. construction industry to thrive, it needs skilled young workers coming into the job marketplace. A part of the solution lies in educational funding to entice young workers into skilled construction training programs.
