Expanding The Construction Workforce: Winning Over Women with Technology
A little less than 11% of construction workers are women, despite the fact that they account for almost half of the labor pool. At the same time, the industry is in the midst of a serious labor shortage that doesn’t seem to be letting up any time soon. Not only does the AEC industry need to fill roles that are currently open, but it also needs to build a pipeline of new talent to replace retiring workers.
Expanding the labor pool to include more women is a no-brainer. Through diversity and inclusion initiatives and mentorship programs, the industry is making significant progress in encouraging more women to work in construction. AEC firms can bolster these efforts by demonstrating how the nature of construction work is evolving.
Despite the gains that women have made in the workplace, the pandemic revealed that many are still shouldering most of the child care burden at home. More than 3.5 million women with school-age children left the workforce during the pandemic. Flexibility is essential to getting them to return.