Solving the construction labor shortage means more technology, opportunity, inclusion

The construction workforce of the future is at your doorstep. Are you ready?

Baby Boomers are exiting the workforce, Millennials are taking over, and Gen Z is knocking on the door. None of this is news to anyone managing a job-site crew or a construction business. But adapting to this seismic construction workforce shift on top of other challenges - supply chain issues and Covid-19, to name just two - might not be top of mind for you.

It should be. The construction labor shortage is real:

• While Baby Boomers continue to retire, The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimates that the number of construction job openings for laborers and helpers will grow by 4% through 2031 or 168,500 openings each year, on average.
• Jobs for construction managers are projected to grow 8% - faster than the overall rate for all occupations - or an average of 41,500 openings each year.
• In a survey of more than 2,100 construction firms conducted July-August 2021, the Associated General Contractors of America found that 89% of those trying to fill hourly craft positions and 86% trying to fill salaried positions reported having a hard time doing so.

And these trends were established before the $1 trillion federal infrastructure bill, which targets money to rebuild roads, bridges and more.

So, what's the answer?

First, understand today's labor pool and how it's different from the outgoing construction workforce. Despite what you may think, the construction sector has significant advantages in attracting the new generation of talent, and there are tangible steps to leverage those advantages.