92% of contractors have reported difficulty finding construction workers and of those, 42% said they have turned down work because of it, according to the most recent U.S. Chamber of Commerce Commercial Construction Index. One of the longest leading causes for construction’s understaffing issue began about 40 to 50 years ago, when the country moved from an industrial to a post-industrial, service-based business economy, said Brian Turmail, vice president of public affairs and strategic initiatives for AGC. As of October 2019, 36 million Americans had some college education, but no degree and were no longer enrolled, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Construction is potentially dangerous. The hours are long and at times inconsistent. The workplace is outdoors and frequently moving. Workers can sustain long-term injuries or strain, even if they don’t experience injuries on site. Those retiring Baby Boomer construction workers outweigh the number of young people joining the workforce, and that is the main contributor to the skilled labor crisis, according to Ralph Esposito, president of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic division for Suffolk. One of the driving forces keeping workers on a jobsite, Basu said, is the combination of feeling safe and feeling respected. Unpopular management can contribute to retention issues in those areas.
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