NYC finds loss of women, minorities from construction workforce 'concerning'

Dive Brief:

Of the 238,800 men and women who reported working in the New York City building industry in 2014, men — both white and Hispanic — dominated the workforce, while the percentages of women and minorities dropped, according to a New York Building Congress analysis of census data.
White workers represented 41% of the city’s construction industry, while Hispanics represented 38%. Both blacks and Asians dropped a percentage point from 2013 to come in at 12% and 9%, respectively. The percentage of women workers, however, dropped the most — two points down to 7%.
Among the drop in women in the industry, the largest decrease was among women who never attended college — 4,588 workers down from 9,220 in 2013. However, the number of women in the industry with at least a partial college education increased 3% to 12,008 from 11,649.

Dive Insight:

"The good news is that New York City’s construction industry remains a significant source of good-paying jobs and benefits for local residents and recent immigrants of all educational backgrounds," New York Building Congress President Richard T. Anderson said in a statement. "What is concerning, however, is that we are not seeing greater levels of participation among women, especially young women, as well as non-Hispanic minority groups," Anderson said.

He added that the industry should work on "attracting, training, and retaining a diverse workforce" by supporting organizations that promote careers in the industry.

For the last few years, construction has been inundated with warnings about the lack of younger workers coming into the industry to replace an aging workforce. The Associated General Contractors of America continues to promote its plan to get younger workers in the construction employment pipeline, and there has been a push to include more career programs at the high school level.

The drop in women construction workers reinforces concerns of industry experts, who have said the lack of women role models in the industry and a less-than-welcoming environment for some in the male-dominated field are keeping women from choosing a career in construction.