Construction industry wake-up call: More women needed

When we think of an image of a construction worker, a stereotypical image emerges of a strong man wearing dirty work clothes and a hard hat. Actually, over

90% of today’s construction workers are men, so the image is not totally unrealistic. There is no doubt that women have dramatically been underrepresented in the construction industry.

Today, few industries other than construction remain so male-dominated. Construction has stayed as one of the few male-dominated fields while other traditionally male industries, such as the military, law enforcement, and first responders, have welcomed more and more women into their ranks. Women currently make up about half of the total workforce but only 9% of people employed in construction are women.

Change is happening. The construction industry is in transition and is facing new challenges and an employment crisis. Increasing demand for skilled construction workers is resulting in more and more women attending trade and vocational schools, and record numbers of women are entering construction-related apprentice programs. Construction companies are changing their recruiting strategies because they cannot find enough workers to fill vacancies. The labor shortage is real and the Department of Labor reports that the areas hardest hit by the labor shortage are blue collar and trade professions like construction. The current reality is that women are discovering that they are serious contenders for good construction jobs, and that they are finding it easier to obtain a rewarding position in the construction industry.

The labor shortage is exacerbated because many construction workers are baby boomers who are blue collar workers and are aging out of the market. And now for the first time in decades, there is a greater demand for blue collar and trade school workers than college graduates.

All kinds of contractors, construction firms, and engineering firms across the United States are rethinking long-established recruiting and hiring practices. They are aggressively recruiting women to fill the surge in newly created positions in management, engineering, technology, logistics, sales, marketing and the skilled carpentry, electrical and mechanical trades.

Women are now actively recruited to become building inspectors, project managers, and construction site managers, as well as estimators, laborers, heavy equipment operators and more.

Many other industries have been working on increasing their workforce diversity for decades, but the construction world has been very slow to follow their lead. The construction industry is getting a wakeup call due to feeling the pain of the labor shortage, fierce competition and higher financial stakes.

This challenging business environment has prompted construction companies to make a long-term commitment to increase the diversity of their workforce. It also is motivating the construction industry to embrace a new breed of business leader who recognizes the value of workforce diversity.

Women are being encouraged by advice from Sheryl Sandberg, COO, Facebook, when she says: “Women need to shift from thinking I’m not ready to do that to thinking I want to do that and I’ll learn by doing it.”