The construction industry has been dealing with labor shortages for many years now, and a recent survey points to a lack of skilled workers as one of the main reasons why. The Association of General Contractors of America (AGC) and Autodesk partner every year for an annual joint workforce survey, and this year’s survey focused on labor shortages in the construction industry. Tucker Paving is always on the lookout for qualified candidates, and we’ve boiled down the results of the survey to identify the highlights.

Labor Shortages in Construction
The AGC and Autodesk survey aimed to achieve four goals:

  • To measure the state of construction workforce shortages. 
  • To better understand why those shortages exist. 
  • To assess the impacts of labor shortages on construction projects.
  • To learn what firms are doing to cope with and/or overcome those shortages.

The survey polled companies of all sizes, from those with less than $50 million in annual revenue to those above $500 million in annual revenue. Companies from all across the country responded, and companies from all sectors—from building construction and highway and transportation projects to utility infrastructure and federal and heavy work—responded that they were dealing with labor shortages.

Labor shortages are a widespread problem, as evidenced by the 93 percent of companies responding that they have open positions they are trying to fill and 91 percent responding they are having “great difficulty” in finding qualified applicants. The press release concerning the survey’s results maintained that the sectors facing the greatest labor shortages were “the craft workforce that performs the bulk of onsite construction work.”

According to the poll’s results, 77 percent maintained that the available candidates lacked the necessary skills and/or cannot pass a drug test. The issue is compounding project delays and driving up costs.

The Association of General Contractors of America (AGC) and Autodesk recommended that there is a dire need for investing in new construction-focused workforce development programs, especially considering new federal investments in infrastructure and manufacturing.

Tucker Paving has more than 25 years of experience in the asphalt and concrete paving construction industry, and we’ve seen the ups and downs in the construction industry in that time, and we know that the industry will find a way to persevere. Contact us at (863) 299-2262, or contact us online, for help with your next asphalt or concrete construction project!