Hannah Jones, a Realtor.com economic research analyst, describes the need for more workers to help with the housing crisis:
"We need people to be building homes. I would say just at that macro level, in order to build more homes there will necessarily need to be more labor."
President Joe Biden is also behind the need for more infrastructure construction. His Bipartisan Infrastructure Law means job opportunities, including in infrastructure-repair investments, such as for bridges, and investments in public transportation and electric vehicle charging.
"Even though other segments of the economy have been softening, construction has still continued to outpace and achieve growth, and a lot of that as of late has really been fueled by the different infrastructure and other legislative acts," Kit Dickinson, vice president business development at ADP, told Insider.
An analysis from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce noted some of the job growth from infrastructure spending may include "traditional blue-collar construction and transportation industries; smart infrastructure such as smart-grid electrical technologies, broadband and 5G internet technologies, and green technology; and white-collar professional and business services, and other downstream industries."
"Long-term investments in infrastructure have the potential to revitalize, at least temporarily, the blue-collar economy by creating jobs for welders, electricians, technicians, and truck drivers, among other occupations," the report said.
Construction and infrastructure jobs are growing
Construction laborers are projected to see employment growth of 61,900 from 2022 to 2032. This job, which had a median annual wage of $40,750 in 2022, doesn't typically have a formal educational credential for entry and doesn't need work experience in a related job. It does typically require short-term on-the-job training for competency, according to a table from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Electricians, which is projected to see an employment increase of 49,200 from 2022 to 2032, commonly have apprenticeship opportunities. This job had a median annual wage of $60,240 in 2022 and typically needs a high school diploma or equivalent for entry.
Ed Brady, CEO of the Home Builders Institute, noted to Insider based on survey results of National Association of Home Builders members, carpentry jobs especially needs more workers, based on what single-family builders and remodelers noted in separate surveys about shortages. BLS projection data shows carpenter employment increasing by 8,600 from 2022 to 2032. Carpenter is another trade with apprenticeship opportunities and that typically needs a high school diploma or equivalent for entry.
Employment of wind turbine service technicians is projected to see the largest percent increase, with growth of 44.9% from 11,200 in 2022 to 16,200 in 2032. This job typically requires a postsecondary nondegree award for entry and long-term on-the-job training for competency. However, BLS noted no work experience in a related job is required.
This job, according to O*NET, may include repairing, maintaining, and inspecting equipment. It may also include climbing the towers to do so. Some important skills needed according to O*NET beyond equipment maintenance and repairs include critical thinking and complex problem solving.
Another green job that is projected to see a relatively large percent increase in employment is solar photovoltaic installers, an increase of 22.3% from 2022 to 2032. This job typically needs a high school diploma or equivalent for entry, moderate-term on-the-job training for competency but doesn't necessarily need related work experience, per BLS. Beyond installation skills, the job also needs active listening and critical thinking skills per O*NET.
These jobs have been struggling to find workers
Despite these employment projections or funding for infrastructure projects, it may be hard to find or keep workers for these occupations. Dickinson told Insider construction is "a sector that has in some ways a higher barrier to entry in terms of the skills needed to be in construction as a skilled laborer."
"Construction is one of those industries that has been plagued for over a decade by the lack of skilled labor or any labor," Nela Richardson, chief economist of ADP, told Insider. "In fact, even before the pandemic, it was really challenging to find construction workers."
Brady said while the home-building economy has been pretty resilient during the last few years, there's a gap between supply and demand given things like "the lack of labor, the lack of inventory for new construction, and then the lack of inventory on resales."
"The labor gap is so intrinsically connected to affordability and inventory that it's hard to bifurcate," Brady said.
While Brady said fixing the skilled labor force problem won't happen overnight, things that can be done include a need to invest in pre-apprenticeship opportunities. Other things that can help are diversifying the workforce and immigration reform, Brady said.
One thing that can be done to attract more younger workers into these jobs in the future is for more information in schools and mentorship programs to help reframe people's thoughts on construction, per Dickinson.
"A lot of people equate construction with — they're the people on the highways that slow you down getting to work with all the orange barrels," Dickinson said. "It's much more than that. It has an amazing career path trajectory."
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