Indeed, 2006 was a good year, with the  construction industry reporting some of the highest rates of job growth in the region. So, how is 2007 shaping up and what are some of the issues and challenges the building and construction industry will be facing in the coming year?

An Aging Workforce 

They’ve pretty much carried this country on their backs for the better part of the last half-century, but the Baby Boomers are on their way out—exiting the workforce for the green pastures of retirement. Unfortunately, at a time when the demand for workers continues to rise, members of the up-and-coming generations are not rushing to replace them, particularly when it comes to field positions in the construction industry. As a result, contractors find themselves shorthanded, leading to extended project completion times and increased overtime.

     Based on current forecasts, the Construction Labor Research Council estimates that the building and construction industry is going to need 185,000 new skilled craft workers nationwide each year from now until the year 2015. That number represents probably the most significant bottom-line issue affecting the industry today, according to Don Greenwell, vice president of the Builders’ Association, headquartered in Kansas City.

     “When you look at age population across the industry, there is a skew toward the 50 to 55-year age range,” Greenwell says. “Particularly in field work, people start retiring in their fifties because the work is so demanding and because so many of them started working when they were very young. A lot of the pension plans provide a 30-and-you’re-out, so if you start working in your early twenties, you can retire in your early fifties. That translates into a large out-flow of people over the next few years, so you’re going to see a big focus on recruitment industry-wide.”

     The first step in attracting skilled workers, Greenwell believes, is branding the building and construction industry as an attractive career option. No small task when most young people have only the stereotypical view of construction work as unskilled, manual labor.

     “There’s such a big emphasis on getting kids into college, most school counselors don’t even like to talk to students about alternative trade and vocational education options,” he says. “We need a new and improved recruitment model and we need to partner with secondary education to promote construction as a financially rewarding, skill-based career choice.”

     The workforce problem extends beyond labor needs in the field, however, according to Steve McDowell, director of design and a principal with BNIM Architects.

     “There are simply not enough architects graduating from college to replace the ones leaving the work-force,” McDowell says. “Recruiting and retaining young workers is a real challenge affecting the entire industry.”