Constuction companies in many parts of the country are having a tough time finding enough qualified workers to fill open jobs, a survey by the Associated General Contractors of America finds.
Overall, 83 percent of firms responding to the survey reported they had trouble filling craft worker positions, the trade group said, including carpenters, equipment operators and laborers. When it came to hiring professionals, such as supervisors and engineers, 61 percent reported labor shortages.
Officials said the industry needs better vocational education to ease the problem. More than half of the firms responding said the system that prepares new craft workers is below average or poor; 35 percent said they had a low opinion of local programs preparing construction professionals for the field.
“As the survey results make clear, many construction firms across the country are having a hard time filling available positions,” Ken Simonson, chief economist for the group, said in a statement. “Considering how much the nation’s educational focus has moved away from teaching students career and technical skills during the past few decades, it is easy to understand why the construction industry is facing such severe labor shortages.”
Results vary by region
Construction firms in the southeast were especially hard hit, with 87 percent reporting labor shortages. Results were similar in the West (82 percent) and the Midwest (84 percent). The situation was, relatively speaking, much better in the Northeast, where 67 percent of the contractors said they couldn’t find enough workers.
The survey offers more detail, including a breakdown by region and results and analysis for 20 states.
In response, contractors report taking several steps, including an increased use of subcontractors, more use of staffing agencies, and higher wages to retain both craft workers and professionals.
Associated General Contractors also written a plan for improving workforce development.
“Construction worker shortages pose a threat not just to firms looking to recruit new talent,” its introduction says. “These shortages have the potential to undermine broader economic growth. As construction firms struggle to fill key positions, they will be forced to propose slower schedules for vital projects, tempering the pace of economic development. After all, construction is one of the few industries where the vast majority of work must be performed on-site and cannot be off-shored.”
Among the report’s recommendations:
- Reform the Perkins Act, the primary federal funding mechanism for career and technical education, and give the program more money.
- Make it easier for workers in non-unionized shops to contribute privately to craft training programs.
- Make it easier for veterans to get training and jobs.
- Spend more on apprenticeship programs.
- Reform immigration laws so millions of undocumented workers in the trades have a way to attain legal status.
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Construction workers are getting hard to find, according to survey of contractors by the Associated General Contractors of America.
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why would I recommend being a carpenter to anyone when the jobsite is still run by arrogant people who do not want to pay a decent wage? Might as well work where you're compensated decently.