The skilled labor shortage continues to be a major thorn in the side of the construction industry. A feature article in Construction Dive involves a panel discussion on the issue. Panelists talked about the current workforce situation, citing a survey that said 93% of industry respondents claim the labor shortage is preventing their businesses from growing over the next year. They discussed major contributing factors including the lack of young people, misconceptions of careers in the trades, the absence of women workers, and declining immigration. And thankfully there was talk of some possible solutions such as better marketing and improved education and training, as well as immigration reform.
Check out the article here.
It’s no coincidence that the AGC of America also spoke firmly about the skilled labor shortage in a 2016 press release on construction spending. Construction spending numbers that are being reported by the Associated General Contractors of America show that spending “soared in January from a month earlier and all major segments posted hefty year-over-year gains, pushing the total to the highest level since October 2008.” The AGC says it indicates the demand for construction continues to be robust even as other economic concerns persist. The good news was still tainted with the specter of skilled labor shortage.
From the AGC…
Association officials said the new construction spending figures underscore the need to address growing construction workforce shortages that are making it difficult for many firms to add new staff. They called on elected and appointed officials to act on the measures outlined in the association’s workforce development plan (add hyper link), including making it easier for high schools to set up construction-specific education programs.
“Growing demand for construction is only helpful if firms have enough workers to perform the work,” said Stephen E. Sandherr, the association’s chief executive officer. “Without a better pipeline for recruiting and preparing new workers, will have difficulty completing projects on time because they don’t have enough workers on staff.”
There is no political correctness in ignoring the skilled labor shortage. Some of us feel as helpless as Austin Powers trying to ignore a large mole.
