US Building Industry Struggling to Fill Available Skilled Worker Positions

‘Everyone is in a competition for workers right now. I’ve never seen anything like this in my career,’ NECA Director of Workforce Development Paul Flynn said.
US Building Industry Struggling to Fill Available Skilled Worker Positions
Houses under construction in a new development in Brambleton, Va., on Aug. 14, 2024. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
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The nation’s builders are being increasingly burdened by a lack of skilled construction workers and specialty trade contractors such as plumbers, welders, electricians, and HVAC technicians.

As the United States continues to need more affordable housing, which will reach a deficit of 1.5 million homes in the second part of this decade, according to data used by the Home Builders Institute, the rush is on to find skilled tradespeople to help meet the nation’s construction needs. But answers to the skilled worker deficit are hard to find.
Mark Gilman
Mark Gilman
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Mark Gilman is a media veteran, having written for a number of national publications and for 18 years served as radio talk show host. The Navy veteran has also been involved in handling communications for numerous political campaigns and as a spokesman for large tech and communications companies.