{"id":6886,"date":"2013-09-01T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2013-09-01T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/articles\/skilled-labor-an-increasingly-scarce-resource\/"},"modified":"2013-09-01T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2013-09-01T00:00:00","slug":"skilled-labor-an-increasingly-scarce-resource","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/articles\/skilled-labor-an-increasingly-scarce-resource\/","title":{"rendered":"Skilled Labor: An Increasingly Scarce Resource"},"content":{"rendered":"

During the past
\n6 years, the U.S. construction<\/span> industry shed more than 1.8 million jobs.
\nConstruction unemployment reached its peak <\/span>(27.1%) in February 2010, even though the broader
\neconomy had been out of the recession for nearly a year. By February 2013, the
\nunemployment rate fell to 15.7%—lower than in previous years, but still well
\nabove historic<\/span> norms and U.S.
\neconomy-wide averages.<\/span> <\/p>\n

The decline can be attributed
\nto the industry’s ability to retain workers during recessions and then rehire
\nthem afterward. When referring to this
\ncyclical economic phenomenon, the National Center for Construction Education
\nand Research (NCCER) concluded that industry recovery and labor recovery are 2
\ndifferent things. Although the industry historically has survived economic ups
\nand downs, firms often cannot bring back lost workers who secured employment in
\nother industries.<\/span> <\/p>\n

At the same time, pent-up demand for construction—particularly
\ninfrastructure—has been building. The nation’s bridges, highways, water
\nsystems, sewer systems, storm <\/span>water
\nmanagement systems, dams, and levies<\/span>
\ncontinue to falter. Technological shifts also are contributing to pent-up
\nconstruction demand, as office buildings, hotels, and other structures
\nincreasingly need to be retrofitted to improve performance.<\/span> <\/p>\n

Looking ahead, capital markets will heal, job creation will accelerate,
\nand the down cycle in construction will reverse. Much of this <\/span>already is occurring, with residential construction<\/span> starts rising during the last several quarters
\nand a handful of nonresidential construction segments, including power,
\nmanufacturing, commercial, and office, showing signs of life. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Next Construction Crisis<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n

With activity picking up, a recent construction labor market survey conducted by the <\/span>Maryland Center for Construction Education and
\nInnovation (MCCEI) confirms the next crisis for construction will not be from a
\nlack of demand, but from a lack of skilled craft professionals and construction
\nsupervisors<\/span>.<\/span> <\/p>\n

A revolution in the way
\nconstruction services are delivered compounds the emerging skills gap.
\nAccording to the MCCEI survey, 55% of respondents indicated that building
\ninformation modeling (BIM), mobile computing, Global Positioning System (GPS),
\nand other technological advancements represent the most important ways
\nconstruction will be delivered during the next decade. <\/p>\n

Additionally, the Construction
\nLabor Market Analyzer’s 20\/20 Foresight Report for the fourth quarter of 2012
\nprojected a nationwide shortage of nearly 2 million workers. There are
\napproximately 5 million current U.S. nonresidential construction workers, with
\ncyclical demand expected to peak at 6.7 million in 2016, according to the
\nreport. <\/p>\n

To put the shortage in
\nperspective, total employment during the current decade is expected to rise
\n14.3%, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. During the same period,
\ndemand will rise 49% for reinforcing iron and rebar workers, 42% for glaziers,
\n40% for brick masons and block masons, 37% for stone masons, and 36% for
\npile-driver operators. <\/p>\n

Regional Variances<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n

Much of the
\nindustry’s expansion continues to be in energy- and natural resource-intensive
\nareas. Construction employment in North Dakota increased 9% in the past 2
\nyears—more than in any other state. Other rapidly expanding states for
\nconstruction employment include Alaska (7.2%), Louisiana (5.9%), Wyoming
\n(5.1%), and Texas (5%). <\/span><\/p>\n

States with elevated levels of industrial project volume, such as
\nLouisiana, will experience the highest level of labor demand. Those states
\nlikely will drain the qualified and skilled workers from other parts of the
\nUnited States, which implies that skill sets and shortages likely will migrate
\nacross the country over time. Contractors in construction-rich states such as
\nTexas and Louisiana will be in a better position to aggressively recruit talent
\nbecause they will be able to offer more generous compensation and relocation
\npackages. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

During the past 6 years, the U.S. construction industry shed more than 1.8 million jobs. Construction unemployment reached its peak (27.1%) in February 2010, even though the broader economy had been out of the recession for nearly a year. By February 2013, the unemployment rate fell to 15.7%—lower than in previous years, but still well<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":[],"featured_media":0,"template":"","categories":[37,24,21,291,302],"class_list":["post-6886","articles","type-articles","status-publish","hentry","category-market-research","category-contracting","category-business-managment","category-association-news","category-economy"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSkilled Labor: An Increasingly Scarce Resource - Insulation Outlook Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/articles\/skilled-labor-an-increasingly-scarce-resource\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Skilled Labor: An Increasingly Scarce Resource\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"During the past 6 years, the U.S. construction industry shed more than 1.8 million jobs. Construction unemployment reached its peak (27.1%) in February 2010, even though the broader economy had been out of the recession for nearly a year. By February 2013, the unemployment rate fell to 15.7%—lower than in previous years, but still well\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/articles\/skilled-labor-an-increasingly-scarce-resource\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Insulation Outlook Magazine\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/articles\/skilled-labor-an-increasingly-scarce-resource\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/articles\/skilled-labor-an-increasingly-scarce-resource\/\",\"name\":\"Skilled Labor: An Increasingly Scarce Resource - Insulation Outlook Magazine\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2013-09-01T00:00:00+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/articles\/skilled-labor-an-increasingly-scarce-resource\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/articles\/skilled-labor-an-increasingly-scarce-resource\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/articles\/skilled-labor-an-increasingly-scarce-resource\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Skilled Labor: An Increasingly Scarce Resource\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/\",\"name\":\"Insulation Outlook Magazine\",\"description\":\"The only global magazine dedicated to insulation.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/#organization\",\"name\":\"National Insulation Association\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/10\/insulation-outlook-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/10\/insulation-outlook-logo.png\",\"width\":229,\"height\":90,\"caption\":\"National Insulation Association\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Skilled Labor: An Increasingly Scarce Resource - Insulation Outlook Magazine","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/articles\/skilled-labor-an-increasingly-scarce-resource\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Skilled Labor: An Increasingly Scarce Resource","og_description":"During the past 6 years, the U.S. construction industry shed more than 1.8 million jobs. Construction unemployment reached its peak (27.1%) in February 2010, even though the broader economy had been out of the recession for nearly a year. By February 2013, the unemployment rate fell to 15.7%—lower than in previous years, but still well","og_url":"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/articles\/skilled-labor-an-increasingly-scarce-resource\/","og_site_name":"Insulation Outlook Magazine","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/articles\/skilled-labor-an-increasingly-scarce-resource\/","url":"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/articles\/skilled-labor-an-increasingly-scarce-resource\/","name":"Skilled Labor: An Increasingly Scarce Resource - Insulation Outlook Magazine","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/#website"},"datePublished":"2013-09-01T00:00:00+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/articles\/skilled-labor-an-increasingly-scarce-resource\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/articles\/skilled-labor-an-increasingly-scarce-resource\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/articles\/skilled-labor-an-increasingly-scarce-resource\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Skilled Labor: An Increasingly Scarce Resource"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/#website","url":"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/","name":"Insulation Outlook Magazine","description":"The only global magazine dedicated to insulation.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/#organization","name":"National Insulation Association","url":"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/10\/insulation-outlook-logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/10\/insulation-outlook-logo.png","width":229,"height":90,"caption":"National Insulation Association"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles\/6886","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/articles"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6886"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6886"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/author?post=6886"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}