For the longest time, I couldn’t eat broccoli. People tried to make it for me with melted cheese and bacon bits or stir-fried in sesame oil or topped with hummus. I can’t even tell you how many different broccoli recipes I’ve tried only to end up with a continued dislike for broccoli.
Then one day at an afternoon barbecue, a friend made roasted broccoli with garlic and parmesan cheese. I fell in love with it. I went back for more, using a good chunk of valuable space on my paper plate. This remains to be the only way I can eat broccoli.
A recently released industry-wide survey conducted by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) and Autodesk reports that 80% of contractors are having a difficult time finding skilled craft workers. According to the news release about the survey, the AGC says that firms are increasing pay and benefits, using new technologies, and adding training programs, as well as using a number of other strategies to attract skilled workers. But labor shortages persist.
Stephen Sandherr, AGC’s chief executive officer, says, “Workforce shortages remain one of the single most significant threats to the construction industry. However, construction labor shortages are a challenge that can be fixed, and this association will continue to do everything in its power to make sure that happens.”
One major effort will be to lean on federal officials. The association wants them to allow more immigrants to enter the country for construction work. It’s asking government leaders to let construction students at community colleges qualify for Pell grants. And the AGC would like for them to make it easier for companies to create apprenticeships and other training programs.
The survey shows that 44% of firms report they are increasing construction prices and 29% are putting longer completion times into their bids for new work because of the lack of workers. This is putting future development and infrastructure projects at risk.
Allison Scott, head of construction integrated marketing at Autodesk, says, “Construction workforce shortages are prompting many firms to innovate their way to greater productivity. As the cost of labor continues to increase and firms look to become even more efficient, technology can enable better collaboration and ultimately lead to more predictable outcomes. There is also opportunity in untapped pools of talent such as tradeswomen, veterans, and young people looking for an alternative to the traditional four-year university.”
We need to discover a “roasted-broccoli-with-parmesan-cheese” type recipe for the construction industry they can fall in love with.
