U.S. employers will soon face “the largest labor shortage the country has ever seen,” according to a report from Lightcast, a labor market data and analysis firm.
The problem will be especially acute in fields like plumbing, HVAC, and auto maintenance. The labor force as a whole is being challenged by Baby Boomers retiring, falling childbirth rates, and a shrinking cohort of working age adults participating in the labor force.
For construction and trades, the problem is worsened by younger generations seeking office-based jobs requiring a college degree, prime working-age men exiting the labor force due to increased substance abuse and incarceration, and women filling less than 2% of jobs in traditionally male-dominated fields.
The only growth in the U.S. labor force since 2019 is due to immigration and foreign-born workers, the report says.
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The deadline is for BD+C's 30th Annual Reconstruction Awards is July 19, but if you get me a draft of your entry by July 12 (earlier if possible, please!), we'll read it and give you feedback and suggestions that could help you win. We'll give you enough time to rework your entry in time to meet the deadline. We do this "Early Bird" service to help you put together the best possible entry - one that will answer any questions our distinguished jury members may come up with. However, we must emphasize that the BD+C Reconstruction Awards program is a juried competition, so there are no guarantees you'll win. We're just trying to improve your odds. Building Design+Construction is the only publication in its field to recognize the importance of reconstruction in all its forms - historic preservation, adaptive reuse, renovation, fitouts, and reconstruction with addition. And we've been doing it for 30 years. Incidentally, reconstruction accounts for 30-35% of all revenue for AEC firms, so it's a key component of the US/Canada design and construction industry. Send your draft entry to: rcassidy@sgcmail.com. And good luck!
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