Construction Technology – Shifting young workers toward careers in the Construction industry
Recruiting young workers into the construction workforce has never been more difficult than it is today. College degrees, limited access to vocational training programs, and goals for short-lived employment has fuelled this challenge. It would seem than the current increase in demand for new housing, renovations and infrastructure would generate new engagement from a young workforce but the opposite is the reality, with the construction industry enduring an extended and growing shortage of skilled construction laborers.
From 2005 to 2016, the percentage of construction workers aged 24 years and younger has dropped around 30% in the U.S. In fact, back in 2016, the construction industry experienced a 1.5 million-person drop in the number of available construction workers within the length of a single year. Causes include:
- A reduction in high school offerings for vocational training
- Parental preference that pushes children toward college and the white-collar work industry
- AND Contractor reluctance to take on unskilled trainees in lieu of the cost savings associated with a skilled workforce.
Flat Productivity In A $1 Trillion U.S. Industry Sector
Due to the ongoing struggle to connect with and attract a new generation of skilled workers, the U.S. construction industry continues to function at a low level of efficiency and productivity. And even as the entry of a young workforce slackens even more, many contractors continue to resist the benefits of construction technology. This is due to the inability to recognize the financial Return On Investment of construction technology as well as the general resistance to change.
But the availability of construction operations management software and integrated mobile technology cannot be ignored. The advancement of technology in construction not only helps contractors increase productivity and the bottom line, but it also may be an important key to the effort to connect to and retain a new and powerful skilled young workforce.
Technology In Construction, The Recruiting Tool For Reaching A Young Workforce
The young workforce of today and tomorrow are no strangers to modern technology. They have grown up with it and embrace it as an integral component of everyday life. Now that many constructions firms accept technology as a core standard for advanced jobsite performance, some of the more aggressive recruiters are beginning to recognize the value of technology as a stimulant for use in attracting and retaining young workers toward careers in the current construction industry. It is a new doorway into opportunity wherein construction firms can offer advanced:
- Tech-based training
- Uncompromising options in career advancement
- The capacity to work with modern tech tools while also utilizing the existing base of established construction skills
- AND More.
The creation of a more tech-savvy construction workforce can attract skilled young workers who enjoy working with their hands but also lean toward the benefits of integrated software and operations technology. The current breed of college-educated millennials may not yet recognize just how much technology has now become a primary component of the construction industry. But the savvy recruiter will figure out how to spread the word.
Click here: Learn How To Get A Construction Crew To Use Technology.
