Q&A talks with John Butts, executive director of the Associated General Contractors of Connecticut, about the group’s efforts to recruit more young people to the construction trades.
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Q&A talks with John Butts, executive director of the Associated General Contractors of Connecticut, about the group's efforts to recruit more young people to the construction trades.
Q: Why is there a workforce shortage in Connecticut's construction industry?
A: The economic recession had a big impact. Between 2007 and 2012, many workers in Connecticut's construction industry were laid off or left for lack of work. Since then, as the economy and the industry have slowly recovered, the construction labor force has gradually returned as well. Regardless, we're still not back to the numbers we saw in 2007. According to the Connecticut Department of Labor, at the end of 2007, we had 69,000 construction workers in the workforce, and after a low of 49,000 workers in 2010, we've climbed back up to 60,500, as of last month.
Q: What are the potential long-term ramifications of a workforce shortage?
A: The worst-case scenario for the construction industry is that companies will turn away work and projects will be delayed or won't get built at all for lack of qualified bidders.
On a national scale, there are signs that may be happening. In a recent survey of its members, the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of America reported that 87 percent of firms reported having a hard time filling key professional and craft worker positions, and for the first time in many years, companies reported turning away work because of a labor shortage.
In Connecticut, while some of that may be playing out at a micro level, we are a long way from the point that projects won't get built because there's a shortage of skilled workers. The industry still has a lot of capacity and there are many firms out there that are ready, willing and capable of delivering quality projects in spite of a few spot shortages in certain trades.
Q: What is the AGC of Connecticut doing about the shortage?
A: Recognizing that the Internet is the first place most young people go for anything from entertainment to research to communicating with each other, the Connecticut Construction Industries Association (CCIA) and its commercial building division, AGC of Connecticut, are developing a website geared toward attracting young people who are looking for information on construction careers.
The idea for the website originated several years ago from other AGC chapters around the country independently developing websites to educate and attract the next generation of construction workers.
AGC of America, looking for a strategy to deal with the growing nationwide labor shortage, adopted the idea and hired a website developer to assist chapters to create similar websites.
Q: What information will you provide to make construction an attractive career choice?
A: The website will focus on two main areas, detailed information on the wide variety of career choices and where to go for the necessary training for construction careers.
While the website is still under construction, it will feature a listing of the major trades, including average annual salary figures, training opportunities through four- and two-year college degrees, apprenticeship programs, technical schools, individual member company programs, and videos of various construction professionals and tradespeople telling real stories about their jobs and how they came to pursue a career in construction.
Q: How many new workers will the construction industry need over the next 15-20 years?
A: It's hard to say. Workforce demand is directly related to the volume and complexity of projects. While there are approximately 9,000 fewer construction workers now than there were at peak level in 2007, such a level does not necessarily mean that we need that many workers to fill the workforce demands of most of the industry.
The industry has recently developed technologies and efficiencies that allow it to do more with less. Furthermore, should acute shortages arise, the one thing Connecticut has in its favor is that we have the training and education infrastructure (apprenticeship programs, etc.) in place to address employer needs on a timely basis.
