A widespread labor shortage is pushing up construction through most of the country, the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of America) and Autodesk reports in a survey.
The Indiana state data indicates conditions in Indiana are slightly less stressful than the nation as a whole, with 72 percent of the state’s contractors saying they “are having a hard time in filling some or all positions”. Some 83 per cent of contractors say they plan to hire more trades workers because of expansion.
Nationally, the survey shows that 80 percent of 2,552 U.S. construction companies indicate they are having difficulty hiring construction workers. This is an increase from 70 percent in 2017.
AGC-Autodesk workforce survey results for Indiana
On a national level, “What was striking was how universal the difficulty was filling craft positions,” AGC chief economist Ken Simonson told reporters in a conference call. “Now they’re saying no, our bench is empty.”
Simonson said the construction industry is investing in more advertising and workforce training and seeking more government funding as it tries to attract more workers. It is also pushing for immigration reform that encourages skilled workers to be allowed legally to enter the U.S.
“You can’t just call back someone who was laid off a few years ago,” Simonson said. A challenge is educating prospective workers that construction isn’t a “dirty, dead-end career.”
