Ryan Klacking, CPC Council Director The Voice Newsletter September 2023
In less than a couple of weeks, we’ll all come together for the ASCC Annual Conference in Grand Rapids, MI, close to my hometown. Grand Rapids has evolved into a beautiful place to be, and I’m excited to see many of you!
I think it’s fair to say we all look forward to the Annual Conference, where we can come together and listen to each other, brainstorm new ideas, and show our comradery for one another in our industry. We also have the opportunity to sponsor a college student(s) from the Construction Industry Management program to attend the conference with us, and I have to admit, I always look forward to the opportunity to help others looking to enter construction. They are our future!
We all know that even with AI (Artificial Intelligence) and robotics taking the place of some industry workers, construction will (hopefully) always be an industry of the hard-working men and women who build the places where we live, work, and play. I was interested in seeing the statistics when writing this newsletter on how the growth of the construction industry is coming along, and I’d like to share some of those stats with you. Don’t worry, they’re not dismal; they’re very promising!
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the construction industry averaged more than 390,000 job openings per month in 2022, the highest level on record. States with the highest employment level in construction laborers in order of employment (highest to lowest) included: Texas, California, Florida, New York, and Pennsylvania. These employment statistics fall under the classification of 47-2061 Construction Laborers and include persons who “perform tasks involving physical labor at construction sites.” which may include “hand and power tools of all types: air hammers, earth tampers, cement mixers, small mechanical hoists, surveying and measuring equipment, and a variety of other equipment and instruments.” Needless to say, these are very promising stats that should have us all excited.
Another important and interesting statistic I would like to note is an article from the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) who stated in an article earlier this year that, “With nearly 1 in 4 construction workers older than 55, retirements will continue to whittle away at the construction workforce. Many of these older construction workers are also the most productive, refining their skills over time. The number of construction laborers, the most entry-level occupational title, has accounted for nearly 4 out of every 10 new construction workers since 2012.” – Michael Bellaman, ABC President
Hence, this is why I feel supporting and sponsoring our future is critical, not just through sponsorship at our Annual Conference, but throughout our years. It’s up to us to make a significant contribution to our future. Since we will need to bring in more than 300,000 new workers on top of the normal hiring to meet the construction industry demand, our time is now. I hope each of you considers not only supporting our future through this sponsorship provided at our Annual Conference, but also throughout the years to come.