Median Age of Construction Workers is Contributing Factor to Workforce Shortages
Sebastian Obando, Construction Dive
The high median age of construction workers is just one of the contributing factors to the workforce shortages in the industry. But the issue is not necessarily unique to construction, as there is an aging overall workforce due to national demographics.
“While there have been significant advances in technology, it’s still pretty heavily reliant on actual workers to perform, to build projects, to do the work,” said Brian Turmail, vice president of public affairs & strategic initiatives at the Associated General Contractors of America. “And when you have so many people about to age out of the workforce, you want to make sure that you're recruiting and bringing new people.”
The problem can be traced back to a broader cultural push toward desk jobs, and away from construction jobs over the past 30 to 40 years, said Turmail.