An article from Tradesmen International reports on a recent survey from the
Associated General Contractors of America that close to 80 percent of
construction businesses are having problems finding skilled labor. The survey indicates the labor shortage was
first noticed around 2011 and is “now in full bloom, with repercussions being
felt throughout the nation.” In fact a
spokesperson for the NAHB notes that the building industry could be growing
faster if the labor shortage was not an issue.
Much of the problem stems from that
fact that during the last recession, construction and manufacturing were two of
the hardest hit industries. According to
the publication, Finance and Commerce,
“The U.S. lost about 2.1 million construction jobs from December 2007 when the
recession began through January 2011, when industry employment hit its lowest
level since 1996.”
This resulted in many workers leaving
the industry and going back to school or retraining for jobs in the business or
service sectors. Furthermore, without
the prospects of jobs, the number of young people enrolling in vocational and
technical programs declined. Another
problem is that our skilled construction workers are growing older. In fact a 2012 report from EMSI states 53% of
skilled-trade workers in the U.S. were 45 years or older.
However there is some good news for
the industry. Many companies are making
an effort to recruit young workers and get the word out about the benefits of
well-paying jobs in construction. Also
to train more skilled workers, states are expanding community college and
vocational training programs to help meet the demand. The celebrity, Mike Rowe,
is even getting into the act by leading a campaign to promote skilled labor
careers and alternative education programs.
At The Conco Companies, we are one of
the leading concrete contractors in the Western U.S. and offer a wide range of
quality services and products. Our
experience includes providing services for commercial, educational, parking and
other construction development as well as public works projects. We serve California, Washington State,
Oregon, Colorado and Nevada.
Sources: tradesmeninternational.com/news/the-construction-labor-shortage-where-did-all-the-skilled-labor-go/
finance-commerce.com/2013/08/labor-shortages-slow-us-home-rebound/#ixzz2tgl8ed7w
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