Creatively Coping with the Labor Shortage
We’ve been judiciously warned over the past years that there is a severe shortage of construction workers. Understandably, laid-off workers found new careers in different industries and some attrition can be attributed to the plethora of near-retirement baby boomers who simply decided to not return to the workforce. And when you throw in a pandemic you’ve extrapolated the difficulty tenfold. How then, to find construction workers — creatively?
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment for construction managers to increase 11% from 2016 to 2026, a rate faster than the national average for all occupations.*” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””][/perfectpullquote]
Dedicated Industry Job Board(s)
In full disclosure, the two companies I am lauding are Sage Construction integration partners. However, I believe the partnership between Procore and Arcoro (BirdDogHR) to create the Procore Construction Job Board is brilliant.
These two software giants teamed up to create a FREE resource for the vertical they serve. Employers and job seekers alike may access the board to find specialized positions and candidates. Job seekers can upload a resume and search openings by keywords and location.
Where to Find Young Workers
In the new normal, advertising in the local Want Ads is certainly not going to cut it. Nor are job boards like Monster or LinkedIn. Let’s find new ways for attracting young construction workers!
Tap your Local Colleges
When’s the last time you thought about recruiting workers fresh out of college? As the Baby Boomers start to retire, there’s a whole pool of tech-savvy, fresh-faced graduates who want to play with BIM and drones, and altered reality! Many of these schools have taken advantage of free software licenses offered by software publishers in the hope that their future employers will adopt the software.
There are bound to be specialists emerging from your company’s construction niche. At Arizona State University, there is an excellent construction management school, the Del E. Webb School of Construction that offers five disciplines:
- Commercial building (general)
- Heavy construction (roads, bridges, dams)
- Specialty construction (mechanical and electrical)
- Residential
- Concrete Industry
Of course, there are scores of other great schools for attracting young workers. Every year the Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) ranks the top construction schools in a national competition. The students compete in a broad spectrum of 13 different categories; for example, Design-Build, Marine Construction, Determining Project Risk, and more.
Research your state’s “Top Construction Management School” on this great reference site. Then, contact the dean of your local college and see if there’s a (college) job board you can post to, a job fair that you can exhibit at, or an event you can sponsor; use your company’s culture to differentiate yourself to the Gen Y and Z’ers. Emerging job-seekers are very culture and community-conscious!
Use Social Media
Recent college grads are not likely to use email, so you have to reach them where they consume information. This means Facebook/Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, texting, and other emerging streams. Post job openings to FB and twitter with links, because this demographic wants information online or preferably from videos. Why not grab your iPhone and record the greatest things about your company and upload it to YouTube? Give them a call-to-action to request the job description by text, with a link.
Where to Find Experienced Workers
Hire a Vet!
What better way to say ‘thank you’ to personnel who have served in our country’s military than reward them with full-time employment? And think about the skill set they will bring to the table – discipline, teamwork, and leadership! With a little research, I’ve found these sites that help you find vets:
Use Federal/State/City/Resources
The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998 is a federal law designed to improve the quality of the workforce, enhance the competitiveness of the nation, and reduce welfare dependency. Signed into law by President Clinton, the bill shifted the responsibility and accountability of programs to the state level.
In Phoenix, we have Arizona Workforce Connection. Here, employers and job seekers alike can find free resources. As an employer, you can post jobs, find job fairs to participate in, and access “unique” underutilized segments like disabled or mature workers. From the Workforce Connection webpage, “To satisfy WIA requirements, Arizona also created more than 50 One-Stop Service Centers to serve the employment and training needs of job seekers, businesses, and communities located throughout the state. These centers offer a variety of programs to employers, job seekers, youth, mature workers, new entrants to the workforce, veterans, and persons with disabilities.”
Tap into your local, state, and federal agencies to reach the people who are actively seeking!
Pay it forward – volunteer!
There are a plethora of organizations that would benefit from your company’s goodwill. Your current employees will like it, and believe it or not, it’s a great recruiting tool! Encourage your employees’ participation and/or poll them for favorite causes. Spread the bonhomie on social media. People love a great give-back story, and the word-of-mouth buzz you can create is great publicity for the cause.