flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Demographic, societal trends bode poorly for future construction workforce

Contractors

Demographic, societal trends bode poorly for future construction workforce

The ‘largest labor shortage the country has ever seen’ is coming, according to a new report.


By Peter Fabris, Contributing Editor | October 1, 2024
Demographic, societal trends bode poorly for future construction workforce Image by Indosup from Pixabay

Image by Indosup from Pixabay

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.

Related Stories

| Mar 26, 2012

Los Angeles County to host free green building training

Opportunity for residential and commercial building professionals to gain insight on state and county green building standards and regulations.

| Mar 26, 2012

Ball State University completes nation's largest ground-source geothermal system

Ball State's geothermal system will replace four aging coal-fired boilers to provide renewable power that will heat and cool 47 university buildings, representing 5.5-million-sf on the 660-acre campus.

| Mar 22, 2012

Hawaiian architecture firm chooses FRP trellis system over traditional materials

MGA Architecture plans to add five more trellis systems on the neighboring building. 

| Mar 22, 2012

Moline Public Library uses copper as an exterior building material

Architects incorporate decorative copper panels to create the look of a heavy plate copper shingle. 

| Mar 21, 2012

10 common data center surprises

Technologies and best practices provide path for better preparation.

| Mar 21, 2012

ABI remains positive for fourth straight month

Highest spike in inquiries for new projects since 2007.

| Mar 21, 2012

Iowa’s Mercy Medical Center’s new Emergency Department constructed using Lean design

New Emergency Department features a "racetrack" design with a central nurses' station encircled by 19 private patient examination rooms and 2 trauma treatment rooms. 

| Mar 21, 2012

Clary, Hendrickson named regional directors for HDR Architecture

New directors will be responsible for expanding and strengthening the firm throughout the central region. 

| Mar 20, 2012

FMI releases 2012 first quarter construction outlook

The last time construction put in place was at this level was 2000-2001.

| Mar 20, 2012

Ceco Building Systems names Romans marketing director

Romans joins Ceco Building Systems with over 15 years in marketing and customer service.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category




Brick and Masonry

A journey through masonry reclad litigation

This blog post by Walter P Moore's Mallory Buckley, RRO, PE, BECxP + CxA+BE, and Bob Hancock, MBA, JD, of Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr PC, explains the importance of documentation, correspondence between parties, and supporting the claims for a Plaintiff-party, while facilitating continuous use of the facility, on construction litigation projects.

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021