Shortages of Qualified Workers are Rampant throughout the Industry

Over the last several years, we have experienced a dwindling number of new workers seeking careers in the construction industry.  Some think this may be due to young people entering the job market feeling that construction work is not a glamorous or lucrative profession.  The problem has come to a head as older, experienced tradespeople retire and not enough people are stepping into the jobs causing a shortage in experienced cement masons, carpenters and ironworkers. 

Another area experiencing shortages is in qualified construction truck drivers that haul materials such as steel, aggregates, cement and ready-mixed concrete.  In fact we have heard stories from concrete producers about how they have had trucks parked without qualified drivers to drive them.  They have also found themselves in the position of running out of raw materials due to the shortage of material haulers.  Many in the industry fear that the problem may stem from companies such as Amazon and Walmart that can offer steadier work than the construction industry.

A recent article from the Business Insider says that the shortage of skilled construction workers may slow the hurricane recovery efforts from Harvey.  It reports on a survey from the Associated General Contractors of America that even before the hurricane, Texas, which is in the middle of a building boom, was having trouble filling positons as reported by 69% of the contractors.

Another quarterly report from the USG Corporation and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that surveys contractors to gauge sentiment and measure the health of the industry supports that finding.  It discovered that “60% of contractors reported difficulty finding skilled workers in the third quarter of 2017 due to an ongoing skilled labor shortage.”  Additionally 91% surveyed said they were somewhat concerned about the skill level of their work force.

The Conco Companies are one of the leading concrete contractors in the Western U.S. and offer a wide range of quality services and products.  While we tackle projects both big and small, our experience includes providing the complete concrete package for the Levi’s Stadium along with other notable projects.  We serve California, Washington State, Oregon, Colorado and Nevada.

Sources:

businessinsider.com/r-construction-worker-shortage-could-weigh-on-harvey-recovery-2017-9 

fortune.com/2017/09/18/hurricane-maria-hurricane-jose-construction-jobs/