The fundamentals of the commercial construction industry are strong and industry leaders are largely optimistic about the future of the sector, according to the latest USG Corporation + U.S. Chamber of Commerce Commercial Construction Index (CCI). Contractors report a healthy pipeline of new business and more than 50% expect to hire more people in the next six months. But behind the headline numbers, one of the most persistent challenges in the construction industry is first recruiting, then training and retaining, skilled workers. Like manufacturing and other trade industries, the construction sector is grappling with an aging workforce, as well as a gender and skilled labor gap, which is causing builders to turn down work, submit higher bid levels and struggle to meet deadlines. This problem is not a new one. Issi Romem, a chief economist at construction data firm BuildZoom, examines how the housing bust of the early 2000s contributed to today’s construction labor shortage and calls the loss of young construction workers during that time “a scar from which the construction industry has yet to recover.”
All industry professionals play a role in finding solutions to these workforce challenges. If they do, the industry will continue to have a meaningful impact on boosting the American economy, upskilling workers and providing cutting-edge buildings that improve how people live, work and play.
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