Construction Industry Kicks Off Week-Long Focus on Diversity & Inclusion

The Associated General Contractors of America kicked off its support for the week-long, nationwide series of events called Construction Inclusion Week with a “toolbox talk” at the new Kansas City Current stadium project in Missouri. The event was one of many association efforts to get more women and Black Americans into high-paying construction careers.

Construction Inclusion Week is a three-year-old, industry-led initiative that asks construction firms across the country to organize activities that are designed to make their teams more inclusive to encourage greater diversity in the industry. Shea De Lutis, a national officer for the Associated General Contractors of America, noted that thousands of the association’s members are holding diversity and inclusion education sessions, toolbox talks and stand-downs over the coming week as part of the effort.

De Lutis said the Associated General Contractors is a big supporter of Construction Inclusion Week because it reinforces the group’s long-standing efforts to diversify the construction industry. She noted that too few women work in construction. While women make up almost half of the U.S. workforce, they are only 11% of the construction industry. She added that while Black Americans are 13% of the total workforce, they are only 7% of construction professionals.

The construction official noted that the association has compiled a comprehensive, research-based business case that documents the many safety, innovation and financial benefits that construction firms achieve when they diversify their ranks. The association has also invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in targeted digital advertising efforts designed to reach under-represented workers and encourage them to pursue high-paying construction careers.

The association has also created a toolkit for emerging contractors to help new and minority-owned construction firms grow from startup to success.

For more information, visit buildculture.org.