While other industries face a “Great Resignation,” in which discontented employees are quitting at an elevated rate, workers in the skilled construction trades report high levels of job satisfaction, according to the second annual Skilled Trades in America report by Angi, formerly known as Angie’s List.
In two surveys of 2,400 skilled tradespeople, paired with Angi’s own analysis of American Community Survey Public Use Microdata, 83% of respondents reported that they are satisfied with their choice of work. The same respondents observed that the skilled trade labor shortage is continuing to worsen, with over three-quarters, or 77%, saying it has worsened over the last year.
According to Angi, the top driver for overall job satisfaction in the skilled home trades is the meaning and value found in the work. Within the rest of the job market, employee engagement has fallen to 34%, and daily stress has risen to a record high.
“On one side you have disengaged workers leaving their jobs, and on the other you have skilled home tradespeople saying they are happy because they find meaning and value in their work, making it a unique and opportune time to attract new talent to these careers, while also improving employee engagement across the country,” says Oisin Hanrahan, CEO at Angi. “It’s time to recognize that the skilled trades offer the opportunity for people to find engaging and high-paying careers. Everywhere there is a home, there is a network of small businesses that support that home and homeowner, and these are extremely needed and valued careers.”
In a time when demand for home services has risen in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, 68% of tradespeople reported struggling to hire skilled workers. Just over one-third, 35%, said they are slightly or extremely understaffed. Half said a lack of available workforce is stunting their growth, while 68% said they could grow their business if they had more workers.
At the same time, the skilled trade workforce is aging; the median age of respondents is 43, or 10% older than the general population, and 27% are within 10 years of the Social Security retirement age.
According to Angi, this presents an opportunity to expand recruiting efforts to women and BIPOC. While fewer than 3% each of electricians, plumbers, and construction supervisors are female, the majority of tradespeople, nearly nine out of 10, said they believe that making the trades more welcoming to women would help to resolve the labor shortage.
“In addition to providing engagement for the disengaged is the opportunity to diversify the skilled home trades with minorities that have been traditionally underrepresented in the industry,” says Hanrahan. “By taking a fresh look at how and who the skilled trades are recruiting, there is a great opportunity to help people find meaningful work while also starting to tackle what has become a chronic labor shortage.”
Click here to read the full Skilled Trades in America report.
