The construction labor shortfall is a long-term crisis that won’t be eased, even by a recession or a slowdown in the housing market. It will take years of hard work and creative ideas to solve.

Construction job openings are at an all-time high, with 450,000 vacancies as of April 2022. The worker shortage has roots not only in the pandemic or current economic conditions. Its origins grew from a decades-long discouragement of careers in construction.

But the building industry can work together and with others on solutions for filling the labor gap.

In this webinar, Ed Brady, President and CEO of HBI will discuss:

• Solving the worker shortage crisis demands greater collaboration between the home builders and building and trade unions to create good-paying jobs for a new generation of skilled workers in residential construction.

• Home builders must increase wages and benefits and enhance the work environment for construction workers. But those new expenses should not be paid for through higher home prices. Instead, increase productivity, which boost profits. Best way to do that? Train more skilled workers who build faster and better.

• Untapped labor markets abound. The construction industry must attract and train more women, minorities, veterans and transitioning military, underemployed workers, and persons leaving the justice system and reentering society. Secondary schools and community colleges must offer more technical training that exposes their students to the potential of high-paying, post-graduation career opportunities in construction.