• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Groundbreak Carolinas

MENUMENU
  • News
  • Careers
  • Resources
    • 2020 ABC of the Carolinas EIC Awards
    • AEC Industry Blogs
    • AEC School Directory
    • Asbestos Resources
    • Content Marketing
    • Coronavirus Resources
    • Diversity and Inclusion
    • Economic Forecasts
    • GroundBreak Carolinas Newsletter Archive
    • Health and Wellness
    • New Silica Standard Resources
    • Workforce Development Resources
  • Subscribe

GroundBreak Carolinas

Your source for construction industry news in the Carolinas

MENUMENU
  • Featured
  • Business
    • Accounting
    • Government Affairs
    • Management
    • Human Resources
    • Finance, Bonding, & Insurance
    • Leadership
    • Marketing & BD
    • Operations Management
    • Legal
    • Risk Management
    • Technology
  • Markets
    • Commercial
    • Distribution / Warehouse
    • Government Facilities
    • Health Care
    • Hotels / Hospitality
    • Industrial/Manufacturing
    • Mission Critical / Data Centers
    • Residential/Multi-Family Residential
    • Office Buildings
    • Power / Energy
    • Retail / Shopping Centers
    • Roads, Bridges and Highways
    • Schools (K-12 and Higher Education)
    • Strategy
  • Workforce
    • Apprenticeships
    • Education
      • Colleges
      • High Schools
      • Technical Schools
    • Recruiting
    • Safety
    • Training
    • Veterans Programs
  • Operations
    • Architecture
    • Contracting
    • Energy
    • Engineering
    • Equipment
    • Facilities
    • Products
  • Projects
  • People
  • Economic Development
  • Partners
  • News
  • Events
  • Careers
  • Resources
    • AEC Industry Blogs
    • AEC School Directory
    • Asbestos Resources
    • Content Marketing
    • Coronavirus Resources
    • Economic Forecasts
    • GroundBreak Carolinas Newsletter Archive
    • New Silica Standard Resources
    • Workforce Development Resources
  • Let’s Talk Construction

Business | Workforce

Seventy-Percent of Construction Firms Struggling to Find Labor

by GroundBreak Carolinas News Editor on August 30, 2017

Construction firms across American are still facing challenges finding skilled workers. Seventy percent of construction firms report they are having a hard time filling hourly craft positions that represent the bulk of the construction workforce, according to the results of an industry-wide survey released today by Autodesk and the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials said that many firms are changing the way they operate, recruit and compensate, but cautioned that chronic labor shortages could have significant economic impacts absent greater investments in career and technical education.

“In the short-term, fewer firms will be able to bid on construction projects if they are concerned they will not have enough workers to meet demand,” said Stephen Sandherr, chief executive officer for the Associated General Contractors. “Over the long-term, either construction firms will find a way to do more with fewer workers or public officials will take steps to encourage more people to pursue careers in construction.”

Of the more than 1,600 survey respondents, 70 percent said they are having difficulty filling hourly craft positions, Sandherr noted. Craft worker shortages are the most severe in the West, where 75 percent of contractors are having a hard time filling those positions, followed by the Midwest where 72 percent are having a hard time finding craft workers, 70 percent in the South and 63 percent in the Northeast.

As demand for construction continues to grow, the labor shortages come. Sandherr noted that construction employment expanded in 258 out of 358 metro areas that the association tracks between July 2016 and July 2017, according to a new analysis of federal construction employment data the association also released today. Growing demand for construction workers helps explain why 67 percent of firms report it will continue to be hard, or get harder, to find hourly craft workers this year.

Tight labor market conditions are prompting firms to change the way they operate, recruit and compensate workers, Sandherr noted. Most firms report they are making a special effort to recruit and retain veterans (79 percent); women (70 percent) and African Americans (64 percent). Meanwhile, half of construction firms report increasing base pay rates for craft workers because of the difficulty in filling positions. Twenty percent have improved employee benefits for craft workers and 24 percent report they are providing incentives and bonuses to attract workers.

Forty-six percent of firms also report they are doing more in-house training to cope with workforce shortages while 47 percent report they are increasing overtime hours and 41 percent are increasing their use of subcontractors. In addition, 22 percent report they are increasing their use of labor-saving equipment, 11 percent are using offsite prefabrication and 7 percent are using virtual construction methods like Building Information Modeling, or BIM for short.

“The ongoing labor drought continues to put pressure on the already high-risk, low-margin construction industry,” said Sarah Hodges, director of the construction business line at Autodesk , a leading 3D design, engineering and construction software firm. “As labor challenges continue to grow, technology will play an increasingly important role supporting the existing workforce while inspiring the next generation of industry professionals.”

Sandherr called on federal, state and local officials to act on the measures in the association’s Workforce Development Plan to address the growing worker shortages. In particular, he urged the Senate to pass legislation to reform and increase funding for the Perkins Career and Technical Education Act.

The survey was conducted in July and early August. Click here to see the national survey results, analysis of the data and regional and state-by-state results. Click here for the July 2017 metro construction employment data.

Topics: Business, Workforce
AGC, Employment, Workforce development

Primary Sidebar

What We’re Reading

  • N.C. lowers revenue forecast amid recession concerns
    Source: Business North Carolina Published on May 29, 2025
  • New toolkit highlights rural N.C. community college partnerships in advanced manufacturing
    Source: Business North Carolina Published on May 29, 2025
  • Truist names ex-Morgan Stanley exec to board
    Source: Business North Carolina Published on May 29, 2025
  • Novo shares sink amid obesity drug competition
    Source: Business North Carolina Published on May 29, 2025
  • Buc-ee’s Alamance plan progresses, but at a slow pace
    Source: Business North Carolina Published on May 29, 2025

Recent Posts

  • Design-Build for Manufacturers: Collaboration is King
  • Senior Executives and Young Leaders Give Firsthand Advice to New Graduates Entering AEC Industry
  • Tariffs and the Transformation of Construction Financing and Delivery
  • Optimism and Opportunity: SCEDA’s 2025 Conference Highlights South Carolina’s Economic Momentum Amid Uncertainty
  • Western NC Construction Career Day Draws 600 High Schoolers: Inspiration for a Resilient Region
  • Search
  • News
  • Careers
  • Resources
    • 2020 ABC of the Carolinas EIC Awards
    • AEC Industry Blogs
    • AEC School Directory
    • Asbestos Resources
    • Content Marketing
    • Coronavirus Resources
    • Diversity and Inclusion
    • Economic Forecasts
    • GroundBreak Carolinas Newsletter Archive
    • Health and Wellness
    • New Silica Standard Resources
    • Workforce Development Resources
  • Subscribe

Footer

  • About GBC
  • Contact Us
  • Submit Editorial
  • Submit Event
  • Partnerships/Contributors

Sponsorship Opportunities

Join Our Mailing List

"*" indicates required fields

Name*
By clicking Submit you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Copyright © 2025 GroundBreak Carolinas LLC.

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use