There is a lot of good news in construction. PwC reported that in 2021 engineering and construction deal volume surpassed pre-pandemic levels. The firm also noted that construction is “well-positioned” for 2022. ConstructionConnect recently forecasted that the put-in-place investment in U.S. construction spending will increase 6.6% this year, and another 8.4% in 2023. Consider passage of the Infrastructure and Jobs Act, and the doors are open for significant projects all across the country. Plus, home prices are up, delivering new residential building opportunities and increased property tax funds filtering back to state and local governments that can be reinvested in construction initiatives.

All of these promising statistics come in spite of inflationary pressure, supply chain issues and rising material costs. The construction industry is growing at a healthy clip–even after the major hit it took during the height of the pandemic and the challenges that lie ahead. But, to capitalize on new opportunities and continue along the growth trajectory, certain things need to happen.

Skilled Labor versus Project Management: A Delicate Balance

Construction is not immune to a worker shortage that could impact all of those great numbers and prospects for growth. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Commercial Construction Index, 92% of contractors are having a hard time finding workers and, of those, 42% said they have turned down work because of it. This is a legitimate concern.

But there are two misconceptions at play. The first is that the construction industry needs more skilled labor to keep up with demand all of a sudden. We absolutely do need more skilled labor, but that’s not a new phenomenon or a problem created by the pandemic. It’s been on the radar for a very long time, as workers disproportionately age out or exit the industry without fresh workers to replace them. The other misconception is that we only need skilled labor.

An equally important, but much less talked about issue, is the lack of project management staff. Without enough talent to manage a project, it’s impossible to grow a business or even adequately address present demand. Project managers, project engineers, superintendents and the like are absolutely essential to the success of any job. These are the folks that handle budget forecasting, ordering and tracking supplies, managing schedules, and keeping track of everything that happens on a jobsite—from documentation of work completed to the location where materials should be laid down. Project management teams are responsible for massive amounts of data and ensuring efficiency; they are even responsible for ensuring skilled workers are deployed wisely—in the right area at the right time to make the most of limited resources.

With the growth we’re seeing in construction, far more project management teams are needed, but construction organizations often lose out on great talent due to competition with other industries. Even those with degrees in civil engineering are opting to join tech companies rather than construction firms. Given the perception that construction is built around manual labor and processes, why would someone want to go into a field that seemingly makes limited use of technology, compared to joining the hottest new startup? And how could construction possibly accommodate remote work, like other industries?

Room for All

While a transformation has been underway for some time, construction today is a much different industry than it was even two years ago, and as such it needs to prioritize getting the word out about all of the amazing things that are happening and why it is such a forward-thinking field. Construction blends art and architecture with math, science, physical labor and, yes, the very latest in technology.

Case in point: Today even the inside of a crane looks more like a fighter jet with precision instruments than a big, rusty piece of equipment. Construction in the metaverse? While the industry is focused on building things in the physical world, builders also are considering ways to allow new types of work that blend the physical with the digital world—workflows powered by the steady adoption of various reality capture technologies that digitize the physical jobsite and make it available anywhere. This could unlock a much larger talent pool to help manage projects. With the latest in computer vision and project management software, construction workers can be thousands of miles away from a jobsite and feel as though they are walking the halls of a building, checking that work is completed, and reviewing historical images to know exactly what lies behind a wall, reducing rework and squashing issues before they arise. There is even a carbon emissions reduction that can be unlocked by this type of remote jobsite management, allowing builders to put more eyes on the site without adding the car rides and plane flights that tend to accompany each additional headcount.

All of this adds up to show that there is space for everyone in construction, and it’s a really exciting industry to be a part of. We get to use the latest tools to build structures that people rely on or enjoy—whether it’s thousands of people coming together for a sporting event or a concert at a venue that defies their imagination, a new cancer center or research lab that can save lives, or a family that is moving into their first home. What people in construction do matters, and it takes a team with diverse skills to make these things come to life.

At a time when workers all over the country are reconsidering what they want to do with their careers, they should look at construction. The pay is highly competitive, the work is becoming ever more flexible, and cutting-edge tech is being used in innovative ways to ensure high-quality buildings and structures support every other industry on the planet. There has never been a better time to enter the industry. People just need to open their minds to what a career in construction could look like.