Bridge the Gap: 3 Ways to Attract, Retain Skilled Workers

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By Andy Williams Thirty-one million U.S. skilled-trades positions will be unfilled by 2020. In the manufacturing industry, 32 percent of $1 billion-plus companies estimate they will lose more than $100 million each year as baby boomers retire during the next five years. And it’s not much rosier in construction. Executives are seeing cracks extruding from the gap, expanding closer and closer to their company’s profitable foundation, and many leaders are branching out to solve this crisis in new and innovative ways. Here are three tips we’ve employed to bridge the gap: 1) Look to new labor markets As the construction … Read more

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Superintendents Speak Out

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Survey reveals satisfaction on the job, stress levels and more By Chris Maday Schmidt Construction Superintendent recently partnered with AstaPowerproject to conduct a brief survey to superintendents via our LinkedIn group. The survey was compiled by a third-party source and included both closed and open-ended questions that covered a range of everyday topics on the jobsite—such as the skilled labor shortage and education and training, to on-time projects and scheduling. Of the responses we received, we learned more about your happiness levels, social media and tech usage, as well as your thoughts about the younger-generation workforce and more. You spoke, we listened. Here … Read more

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Deepening Labor Struggle Driving Future of Construction

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The construction labor shortage continues to deepen nationally, evident by a historically low unemployment rate of 4.5 percent. There has been minimal growth in the workforce over the last nine months, with no sign of an increase. Because of this, industry professionals can expect project timelines to be extended, wages to increase at a faster rate and all eyes focused on construction technology to offset these challenges. Despite this, the industry continued to hit a mature stage of economic expansion in the third quarter, according to a new report from JLL that tracks national construction trends. Construction spending was up … Read more

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A Closer Look at the Skilled Labor Shortage

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The whys, tactics and what comes next By Bud LaRosa The construction industry is enjoying an enormous economic recovery. Many urban centers are dotted with cranes. There are several private and public projects on the drawing board and, last year, Congress passed a $1.1-trillion budget with $1.6 billion going toward the General Services Administration’s construction account. This 300 percent increase includes a doubling of the Department of Veterans Affairs construction budget to $1.2 billion. With projections for growth in 2017 forecasting the recovery to continue, one of the greatest threats that could derail the recovery is the lack of skilled … Read more

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