Recruiting, retention and training in construction

Contractors are on a quest for more workers, but they’re still struggling to find them. A new Associated General Contractors of America survey has shared numbers providing context around the issue.

The majority of U.S. contractors have increased their headcount in the last 12 months, according to the survey of AGC members, and more respondents this year are looking for both hourly craftworkers and salaried contractors. More than nine in 10 report they have trouble finding the people they need.

“What this year’s survey makes clear is that our nation’s failure to invest in construction workforce education and training programs is having a real, measurable impact on the country’s ability to build infrastructure and other construction projects,” said Jeff Shoaf, CEO of AGC, in a statement. “These impacts include higher costs, longer construction schedules and a significant number of delayed and/or canceled projects.”

Indeed, the report indicates that the lack of workers has created a problem for delivering projects.

“A majority — 54 percent — of respondents reports experiencing project delays due to shortages of their own or subcontractors’ workers,” said Ken Simonson, chief economist of AGC, in the statement. “And 80 percent of firms report experiencing at least one project that has been canceled, scaled back, or postponed.

The causes for struggling to find suitable workers are many, but primarily respondents reported that candidates were not qualified for construction work (62%) or that they failed to show up or quit shortly after starting (50%).

The three toughest-to-staff salaried positions, according to the survey, were superintendents (83% of respondents), project managers/supervisors (81%) and estimating personnel (78%).

The three toughest-to-staff hourly or craft labor positions, according to the survey, were mechanics (83%), cement masons (83%) and plumbers (80%).

Causes and solutions

AGC laid the blame at government programs that support higher education to the detriment of workforce training.

“One reason it is so difficult for firms to find people is because federal officials have failed to properly invest in construction workforce training and education,” said Shoaf. 

A study released in June from the Progressive Policy Institute in partnership with AGC and Procore found that, of the $139.5 billion that the federal government spends annually on postsecondary education, $28.3 billion goes to workforce education and training programs. The remaining $111.3 billion supports traditional degree programs.

AGC connects that to the continued labor shortage, and builders are trying to do something about it.

“The construction industry is, however, taking a range of steps to address these shortages,” said Simonson.

A majority — 61% of respondents — said they had increased base pay rates by more than a year ago. Nearly three in five have implemented an online strategy (such as social media presence or targeted ads) to recruit younger workers, and half have partnered with a career-building program. 

Shoaf called on the federal government to increase funding for career development, and to implement practices to make it easier for construction workers to immigrate and work in the U.S.

“The bottom line is the federal government needs workforce policies that support, instead of undermining, our national infrastructure and economic development priorities,” Shoaf said.

Though she still has an accent, Laura Bush considers herself a New Yorker.

Currently director of the New York region for Consigli Construction Co., Bush came to the U.S. from the U.K. 23 years ago. She entered the industry at age 18 as an undergraduate trainee with Australia-headquartered Lendlease’s office in Manchester, where she obtained a lot of site experience.

This summer, Bush partnered with the New York City Department of Education to provide two students with the same experience she had: an early start in the trades, sponsored by an industry leader. Amari Young and Abner Rodriguez, students at the Bronx Design & Construction Academy, worked on two separate Consigli projects in the city as they built on their classroom skills including carpentry and pre-engineering.

Consigli was the only general contractor to participate in the NYCDOE’s Industry Scholar Program, according to a news release. The program provides high school internship opportunities to career and technical education students in the Big Apple’s public schools.

Here, Bush talks with Construction Dive about the program, her own experience and how to ensure that all parties get the most out of an internship.

CONSTRUCTION DIVE: How did this internship program come to be?

LAURA BUSH: I'm on the board of the New York Building Congress Foundation, and the DOE came to present this Industry Scholars Program at one of our meetings. It really piqued my interest because I never really heard of anything similar that was being organized by anyone else. 

And after my own experience, I just said, "We have to do this.” We're all about training young people, getting young people involved in the industry, making them aware of the opportunities available to them. And that doesn't necessarily have to be with a construction manager, it can be in the trades as well. The ISP program isn't necessarily limited to construction or trade careers, but we thought we could really give some people the opportunity to get that hands-on experience on our jobsites like I did all those years ago.

So, we were really glad that we had Amari and Abner with us. They were on our projects at 4650 Broadway, which is a residential project, and some student housing for Columbia University on 112th Street. We were really excited to have them integrated as part of our teams on those respective projects.

One of the big things I always say about these experiences is it's not just us teaching them. We always learn from any student intern, anybody who comes to our jobs, even a peer who comes to give a different perspective. So we always enjoy having our eyes opened up with some of the younger people especially, and anything creative that they can bring to the table as well. 

Was the mindset around this internship for Consigli focused on talent development, recruitment or that fresh, new perspective the interns brought?

I think there's many things that you can get as a value outcome from a program like this. For me, it's also creating awareness with not just those two individuals, but creating awareness for their peers. 

Maybe one of them has a conversation with someone at school about their experience, or maybe they share it with a family member. It's creating that awareness that I think we're all obligated in the industry to keep doing right. We want to make sure that we have the next generation of industry leaders here, and we want that to be a diverse group. 

It's obviously very important to me as a female leader and because my husband is mixed-race. So lots of different reasons why that should be happening. 

Like I said, it’s about the people who work at Consigli and our projects, having them exposed to that different and diverse workforce as well, continuously training up the future leaders of the business. I think it's important for our teams to be dynamic and responsive and to accommodate new people on the team and the next generation, and be able to share their skills and learn from them as well. 

How do you encourage the sharing of new ideas?

I think it's making sure that an intern understands that they have an integrated role in this project, and they add value, right? Everybody adds value. Anyone can come up with that one idea. 

Construction's all about resolving problems. I call it people and problems. So, I think it's encouraging the communication, having that dialogue and making sure people feel supported. The industry has to be nimble and responsive to the next generation. 

If you look back to 2001, when I first came to New York City, it's so different now than it was then. I was just talking about this last week with a couple of other female industry leaders, like even in the last three to five years, just the advancements with safety, with technology, the industry is evolving. 

How do you make sure you’re keeping the students engaged?

We have an open-door policy. So if there's an issue or you're not being challenged, come in, speak up. And what we do early on in the internships is we do an introduction with myself, with the leader and the business, to encourage them to challenge themselves. 

And also, at the end of the internship, we get feedback from the interns, they do a presentation of their experiences. And we certainly take that and carry that forward for the program in the future. 

What advice would you give to someone looking to improve their internship program?

I think for us, we've invested in it. We have a dedicated intern team that is accustomed to speaking with that generation. You know, jobsites are hectic. Things are crazy sometimes. But bringing the high school kids, the interns into the mix can really kind of bring a different perspective, like I mentioned.

It also helps develop our own people within. Having someone shadow them, having them teach, get asked questions, mentoring, those are all skills that we need as a business, as we develop and grow. There's a lot of benefit to our employees as well.

Fulton Cure is a consultant at Well Built Construction Consulting, a Baltimore-based firm that delivers strategic consulting, facilitation services and peer roundtables for construction executives. Opinions are the author’s own.

Members of Generation Z like me grew up in a world of convenience. We never had to learn how to read a map. We’ve never had to put quarters into our phones to make a call. We created email accounts when we were in elementary school and got cell phones before we could drive. We're comfortable with technology because we grew up with it.

On the contrary, many of our more experienced co-workers began their adulthood and careers with little to no reliance on technology. They learned to do their jobs the old-fashioned way. Pen and paper, picking up the phone and calling people, swinging a hammer.

There’s a huge gap between the technologically centered lifestyle Gen Zers grew up with, and the hammer-and-nail daily grind of a construction site. Similarly, there’s a gap between the way a Gen Zer will approach a career in construction and how someone from an earlier generation might.

The construction industry has come a long way in incorporating more technology on jobsites. For example, it’s common to see foremen and GCs walking around with digital plans on their iPads or sending out punch lists from their phone via construction management software. 

This is comfortable to a Gen Zer. We know how to use an iPad and can figure out project management software easily. I’ve had older coworkers share with me that they still tend to write out punch lists and make copies of those handwritten lists to hand out to subcontractors. I’ll leave it up to your imagination about some of the issues that would come from that method.

Open to change

The building industry is ever-evolving with new tools, new methods, new technologies, just to name a few. It is going to continue to evolve as the world does. With that, the way we approach construction management needs to evolve as well. 

With the declining interest in careers in the construction industry, it’s vital that we get the younger generation excited about being a part of it. To do so, we must be willing to adapt to this new way of thinking. 

Construction executives need to be open to change. Change how you treat your employees, change how you interact with your trade partners, change how you interact within an office. Take the approach that Gen Zers’ perspective and worldview is different from yours. That doesn’t make theirs wrong and yours right. It’s just different, because we were raised differently.

Members of Generation Z value respect, empathy, creativity and a fast-paced environment. We desire instant gratification and positive feedback. As a boss of a Gen Zer, be willing to provide positive feedback any time possible. 

When constructive criticism is needed, keep in mind that respect, empathy and direct communication are what’s best. Also remember that Gen Zers are typically looking for things to be done faster, easier and more efficiently. So be open to hearing ideas, exploring new methods and thinking about the ways they improve team morale.

Mutual respect

In contrast, younger construction managers need to understand that there are aspects of the job that are best done in a particular way. It’s been proven that the best way to communicate with a trade partner is to pick up the phone and call them. Emails and text messages serve their purposes, but nothing is more effective than a phone call. 

Similarly, there are ways schedules are built and particulars of each trade that must be done in a certain way. When you see an opportunity for improvement in means and methods, have an honest conversation with your boss. Tell them why you want to do things differently and explain how it accomplishes the goal you have.

As the construction industry continues to evolve, bridging the gap between generations is key to its future success. Gen Z brings fresh perspectives, adaptability and a natural affinity for technology while more seasoned professionals offer invaluable experience, time-tested wisdom and a deep understanding of the industry’s foundations. 

By embracing the strengths of both, construction companies can foster innovation, improve efficiency and create a work environment where all employees thrive. The future of the industry depends on our ability to work together, learning from one another, and cultivating an atmosphere where every generation feels valued and empowered to contribute. 

This mutual respect and collaboration will not only make the workplace stronger, but will ensure that construction continues to grow and thrive.

Lower college enrollment and higher vocational school numbers suggest members of Generation Z may enter the workforce as a “toolbelt generation,” according to a new report from ADP.

The Roseland, New Jersey-based payroll management services company tracked the number of Americans in blue collar, white collar and service jobs and found that between January 2019 and May 2024, the blue-collar share of employment increased faster for workers in their early 20s than for workers aged 25 to 39, signaling that the younger generation may be turning to the trades.

Nonetheless, the share of those workers has remained flat since 2022, indicating a plateau or potential reversal of the trend. Still, construction needs new workers, and experts believe Gen Z — those born between 1997 and 2012 — is a good fit.

Here, Construction Dive talks with Kit Dickinson, construction industry executive at ADP, about what makes this generation right for construction and how the field can capitalize on the emerging workforce.

The following has been edited for brevity and clarity.

CONSTRUCTION DIVE: It seems that Gen Z is entering the blue-collar workforce in bigger numbers than in the past. What about the timing is right for construction to take advantage of this new group?

KIT DICKINSON: The way I see it is we're really at an inflection point, where the Gen Z population is embracing that belief that if you want to be part of a growing industry and have career growth potential, job security and good income possibilities, that path may best be achieved by going into the trades. 

They're seeing their peers go to traditional four-year colleges. They read all about tech layoffs and office jobs being replaced by artificial intelligence, about people coming out with a lot of student loan debt. So, that pendulum is swinging toward pursuing construction work for many of this generation. 

It's been great to see the construction industry doing a much better, more creative job of promoting the benefits of joining the trades. For example, dispelling some of the old misconceptions that if you go into construction, you're going to be holding a shovel, holding up highway traffic or swinging the same hammer for 30 years. That's absolutely not the case. 

They're doing an effective job of touting income potential and growth opportunities and how technology is an active part of the jobsite, the impact that you can make to your community. All those things really resonate with Gen Z. 

We're also seeing more people going into high schools or even junior highs to invest in internships and promoting competitions, other ways to promote the workers of tomorrow today, because they're needed in great volume.

What else are employers doing to recruit young people?

We're also seeing the industry doing a nice job of appealing to Gen Z through benefits that are tailored to what's important to these people. Some of the more progressive firms are looking at what menu of benefits they should offer. 

Some of the things that are most important for this generation are tuition reimbursement, mental health counseling, days of service for helping out the community and even things like pet insurance and bringing pets on the jobsite where appropriate, which maybe hasn't been historically as important to other generations. 

Then as you start to look at keeping these people in your company and in the industry, those career development opportunities, including management, even the path toward entrepreneurship is important. This generation, they're ambitious by nature. They want to "climb the ladder" as they say, so being able to present and deliver on a career ladder that has many different options is important. 

Gen Z has a reputation for being socially conscious. What can contractors do to show they share these values?

Broadly speaking, they want to feel heard. Make sure that you are actively checking in with the workers and engaging with them. They want to feel heard in those discussions, to have a say. Historically, maybe construction had a negative perception in that regard. 

Some of the other things are making certain accommodations at the jobsite that haven't been there before. Gearing that to attract more women into construction by having, for example, lactation stations on the jobsite and making equipment accommodations instead of one-size-fits-all gear. 

Those are things that you have to evolve and be more progressive in some respects to help attract and retain those coveted workers, because they're in great demand.

With federal funds flowing to big projects, is it now more important than ever for builders to up their recruiting game?

Absolutely. The construction industry, while still achieving growth across the board, there is some softening occurring around private or residential work. But that is being offset by those government projects. When those were enacted, there was a forecast of needing approximately 500,000 workers on top of an already stressed labor market. 

What used to be kind of a nice-to-have, that we need to branch out and explore other generations and younger workers and such, is now a need-to-have because there's just too much work. And if we talk to different companies it continues to be the No. 1 challenge. What keeps you up at night as a business owner is attracting and retaining the skilled labor needed to meet the demands. 

Earlier you mentioned technology. Will that help to recruit and retain Gen Z?

Yes, it will absolutely help. Just like every generation leaves their fingerprints on advancing construction, the Gen Z viewpoint, growing up with an iPhone in their hand, is going to continue. And I think it will bring ideas on how we can better optimize and be more efficient, not only at the jobsite, but obviously in the back office. 

Some of the other things, like drones and 3D imaging, probably were not thought of for years past in construction. As new people come in with new ideas and new expectations and new ways to advance and grow the business and make it more efficient at the jobsite, I'm seeing a much more open mindset of these construction company owners to embrace that technology.

Since she was a little girl, Sela Martinez wanted to “do something with rocks.” 

Now a senior at Colorado School of Mines, a public research university in Golden, Colorado, she’s finishing her bachelor’s degree in geological engineering. After graduation, Martinez will survey construction sites to help determine things like where teams will bore holes or how well the soil will drain.

“Since a young age, my parents used to take me to the geology museum at Mines, and that’s kind of what made me want to go to Mines and pursue geology,” Martinez said.

But it was her dad, who worked in construction, who helped her find a path for her aspirations. Taking career day tours of construction and engineering jobsites in the Denver area helped Martinez discover her passion for geotechnical engineering.

She found those connections through Transportation & Construction Girl.

Part of the Hoya Foundation, a nonprofit based in Arvada, Colorado, designed to help women find careers, T&C Girl seeks to recruit the next generation of young women to the industry. 

Opening doors

As project director for the Hoya Foundation, Keller Hayes knew that there weren’t enough women hearing about the trades. It was especially clear due to the disparity in the number of women working in construction. As of August, women accounted for 14.3% of the U.S. construction workforce, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, despite making up half of all workers.

Thus, T&C Girl was founded to make it easier to open doors for young women to learn about, get comfortable with and pursue construction as a career. Early on, Hayes discovered one hurdle among many: the heavy machinery. Young girls were afraid of it, she told Construction Dive. 

“They're like, ‘I don't know how to do that. I've never done that. I don't know any other girl that does that.’ Oh, and my favorite: ‘I'm afraid I'll break it.’ ‘I'm like, you're 90 pounds soaking wet. We got you on this,’” Hayes said.

Since 2017, the nonprofit has worked to bring young women of many ages to construction by introducing them to the idea of the trades, giving them hands-on experience and getting them comfortable around heavy machinery. The group offers three “career weeks,” and a five-day summer camp where young women aged 13 to 20 get to tour five area companies. 

The firms create daylong programs to provide campers with insight into what a career in each field — such as masonry or heavy equipment operation — would entail.

Martinez attended career weeks in high school, which helped her discover her right career path.

But the bigger event this year was on Sept. 26: the annual Transportation and Construction Girl Day. The event —with over 50 partners, 70 exhibits, 1,700 girls and 800 chaperones — provided opportunities for young women to interact with companies and partners, get experience with heavy equipment and learn about the trades as a career path.

“There was a sea of energetic pink welcoming the next generation of women into this industry,” Hayes said of this year’s T&C Girl Day, which she described as the best yet. “Most importantly, I saw girls realizing they too could find amazing, well-paying, and rewarding jobs in this industry. And they had the chance to meet many women who currently work in the industry who can help them achieve it.”

Thalia Garman, a freshman at Red Rocks Community College in Lakewood, Colorado, attended both the career weeks and the T&C Girl Day when she was in high school.

She said she discovered a passion for electrical work, but didn’t understand what the day-to-day was like until she attended T&C Girl events, where experienced electricians and engineers could show her their work.

“I didn’t know what it entailed,” Garman said. “So being able to actually get hands-on action was really beneficial to see what I wanted to do.”

Breaking down barriers

Garman said growing up, she’d look out the car window and see construction sites, but never noticed any women on them. That, in and of itself, felt like a barrier.

“It just wasn’t something I saw as an option,” she said.

When Terri Olsen formed civil contractor OE Construction with her son in 2006, that lack of representation, which she had also seen in her previous career in the hardware and software industry, was still a problem.

Wheat Ridge, Colorado-based OE is a sponsor of T&C Girl. Olsen described the work done by the organization as visionary, and said that the experience has benefitted her company by teaching them about how young women view the trades and what it can do to recruit them.

“It takes a village and we all need to work together to bring women into the construction industry, now and in the future,” Olsen said.

That broad effort is neccessary, Hayes agrees, and exposing girls to construction as a career option can have a profound impact on the individual, their family and the industry.

“I would say the takeaway is that we need to let young girls know earlier about careers in this industry because it's not just about changing lives, it's about changing lifetimes,” she said. “It's about letting young girls know there are economically rewarding careers in this industry and that we want them in this industry.”

Martinez described the pride those who work in construction feel when seeing a project and getting to say, “I helped build that.” Even still, she had apprehensions about working in construction.

“I did wonder, ‘Would I have a place here, would I be accepted?’” she said. “The program definitely helped me see how willing companies are to hire women.”

The Myers-Lawson School of Construction, part of Virginia Tech’s College of Engineering, has introduced a new major to help shape the industry’s future safety leaders.

The new construction safety leadership program, a bachelor’s in science at the Blacksburg, Virginia, university started admitting students in May and the inaugural cohort could graduate as soon as May 2025.

The new major came out of rising industry demand for construction engineers with a safety-focused mindset, said Brian M. Kleiner, professor and director for the Center of Innovation Safety, Health and Well-being at the Myers-Lawson School of Construction.

“Our industry advisory board was instrumental in driving the need for students equipped to lead safety, whether as safety professionals or as safety-minded project managers or superintendents,” he said.

The only other school in the mid-Atlantic region with a safety degree is Slippery Rock University in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania, said Kleiner, and that is “very-rule based, focusing on OSHA regulations, for example.” By contrast, the Virginia Tech major will focus on leadership skills and knowledge, placing the regulations within the context of leadership.

The construction industry faces numerous safety challenges that the program aims to address, Kleiner said. For hazard protection, that means highlighting OSHA’s Fatal Four on jobsites and continuing to advocate for safety and prevention.

“On the leadership side, [the major focuses on] creating a culture where safety is not seen as a cost-prohibitive negative but a productivity-promoting element that brings workers home safe each night,” Kleiner said.

Safety, leadership and studies

The students will take five core courses as part of the program, beginning with CEM 2714: Construction Safety Systems, which offers an introductory look at construction safety and its importance in the industry.

The other courses include: 

• CEM 3164: Construction Health and Safety, which explores the regulations, standards and laws established by governing agencies to protect workers. 
• CEM 3714: Controlling Construction Safety Hazards, which examines the cognitive processes involved in recognizing and managing safety hazards on construction sites.
• CEM 4714: Construction Safety Culture, which investigates ethical safety practices within the context of construction culture, climate and organizational leadership.
• CEM 4724: Construction Industry Futures: Safety, Health and Wellness, which evaluates the future of the construction industry through the perspectives of safety, health and wellness.

“The key skills students will acquire through this program include hazard recognition and identification, motivating others to be safety-minded and leadership skills and knowledge,” Kleiner said. 

Plus, all courses have industry engagement and are project/experientially based. When it comes to getting work experience, Kleiner said students will be better prepared and more likely to seek out internships with a strong safety component, and, with the major in place, he believes recruiters will be more likely to create those positions.

Jacob Kmieciak, a construction engineering and management student of the program, was interested in taking part because he felt the degree would be a high-value commodity in the workplace and the skills gained from it would translate to better positions and possibly higher pay.

“I feel it will prepare me for the construction industry by allowing me to gain another diverse and useful skillset that can be applied to anything I do now as a student, intern, future graduate or as a future engineer,” he said. “Safety is what we make of it; the goal is the same for everyone: Get home safely. And now with this new major, we can hopefully make something more of it with all the technology and clever, caring individuals working on a solution.”

Kmieciak said that in his classes, students work toward gaining their OSHA-10 certification through studying and multiple examinations, and also gain more background on what safety systems exist to help reduce workplace accidents.

“I think this new major will drastically change the way students go into the construction industry,” he said. “For starters, having your OSHA-10 certification makes you a valuable asset to any company as it shows your dedication to safety and helps save time and money training new hires. I am excited to see where this will take the safety in the industry.”

Along with the launch of this new major, Virginia Tech, through its Center of Innovation Safety, Health and Well-Being, recently initiated a project focused on improving safety equipment standards, which includes a thorough evaluation of jobsite helmets.

“The initial step is to verify that helmets provide superior protection compared to traditional hard hats,” Kleiner said. “While hard hats are designed solely to protect the head from falling objects, helmets offer more comprehensive safety measures. Ultimately, a rating system will be developed for helmets, based on empirical testing.”