By the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics’ count, there were a quarter of a million job openings in the construction sector, and that was before Harvey, Irma, Maria, Tubbs, and their fallout struck so cruelly.
National Association of Home Builders chief economist Robert Dietz notes that the number of open spots on construction crews hasn’t been higher since February 2007. It’s not that builders and remodelers haven’t made progress in re-upping people as business has picked up. Dietz writes:
Overall, the labor market for construction workers remains tight as it continues to expand. Home builders and remodelers added 80,600 jobs over the last 12 months, and industry employment has increased by more than 710,000 since the low point after the Great Recession. As single-family housing starts continue to increase, and rebuilding efforts in Texas and Florida proceed, more workers will be needed in the residential construction sector.
Thing everybody knows is that adding 80,000 jobs a year to builder and remodeling company payrolls doesn’t necessarily make headway against the deep and growing need for more skilled labor. Factor in workers who are aging out, getting hurt, or finding another livelihood, and the need for programs of attraction gets exponentially more urgent by the day.
Which is one of the motivators for the NAHB intiative, Careers in Construction Month, spotlighting opportunities for young men and women in the building trades. This series zeroes in on information and resources to explore a career in, say, carpentry or the electrical trades, with salary-range data, as well as links to jobs and training sites.
BUILDER, too, has “Declared War” on the labor shortage, calling on all stakeholders to play an active role in attracting talented, new people willing to commit themselves to learning the skills and taking part in a business community whose purpose and mission make for a fulfilling livelihood.
Photography by Jeff Nelson
Students at the CHBA in Denver gain hands on experience for a range of home building jobs. The academy is open to adults and high school students in the Denver area.
Our October issue special report here, looks at how home builder, remodeling company, and local building association members can team up creatively to provide resources and training programs.
Courtesy Graciela Arias
Graciela Arias (right), and her mother, Maria.
And here, we look at individuals who’ve answered the calling to careers in the trades and, in their own words, explain why they did. These verbatim examples prove that, for some young adults, a career in construction is exactly the right choice, for all the negative publicity and broad assertions that people don’t want to work that hard or ply trades that don’t match up to what they can get working in offices.
And, as we do here, we’ll continue to shine a light on success stories and bright spots in the business community’s drive to attract, train, and fulfill the career mission of a next generation of American construction skilled workers, even as the macro issue of labor shortages challenges the business.
Courtesy Virginia Tech
Jennifer Willard, a first-year student at the Myers-Lawson School of Construction, speaks with recruiters from Scott Long Construction during the fall career fair at the Inn at Virginia Tech.
As this story our Jennifer Goodman posted yesterday–Construction Majors Get Their Pick of Jobs–there’s a flicker of hope amid these acute labor capacity challenges. Goodman writes:
A recent study released in U.S. News & World Report shows that construction-based majors are the nation’s hottest and fastest-growing. Enrollment in construction-related majors grew 26.4 percent over the past year at four-year institutions – the largest increase of any major, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.
That trend is backed by federal job data and projections. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says construction industry jobs will have the fastest growth all occupations over the next decade, thanks to a booming population and the resulting need for new infrastructure. According to the BLS, the economy will add more than 7.2 million construction jobs by 2024.
It’s a big problem.
But is it unsolvable?
