For Us By Us: Construction Industry's Worker Outreach Programs

The enduring shortage of construction workers has been attributed to the housing crisis, retirement, immigration crackdowns, and the current opioid epidemic. The construction industry is now working to recruit the next generation of workers through outreach programs.

The Home Builders Association in Colorado Springs, CO recently partnered with a local school district to implement the Careers in Construction program in six schools, teaching 350 kids carpentry, plumbing, HVAC, and electrical trades. Women are another unclaimed wellspring of potential workers, as they make up only 9 percent of the field. Realtor.com reports that the income gap for women in construction is 95 percent, relatively less than in other fields.

Builders are partly to blame for the crisis, which is helping to drive up home prices across the nation. They were some of the first to lay off workers during the financial crisis as development stalled, and those workers have since moved on. The crackdown on immigration and the opioid epidemic have siphoned off laborers. Meanwhile, many potential workers simply don't want to toil outside in the heat and the cold when they could work in a climate-controlled office.

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