Construction Staffing Solutions to Bridge the Skills Gap

Baby boomers in leadership roles such as superintendent and foreman are retiring. The available talent pool for niche skilled trades such as masonry detailing and woodworking is both shrinking and aging. And trade schools are facing declining enrollments for new apprentices who can pick up the slack.

Any way you slice it, construction firms are dealing with a skills gap for subcontractor talent that’s only going to get wider in the coming years.
So how can employers in the construction industry get ahead of the curve and set themselves up for success?

Take a Systematic Approach to On-The-Job Training

As with any widespread issue affecting an industry, it’s often helpful to look at what the largest and most well-resourced firms are doing to tackle the problem. In terms of the niche skilled trades talent gap, national construction firms have begun offering apprenticeships and robust on-the-job training that’s commensurate with a technical school’s certification process. 

One particularly effective approach to maintaining contact with high-demand workers has been to require a multi-year commitment for program completion — much like a degree — with reimbursement and certification available at the end.

Construction Recruitment Strategies for Skilled Trades

In addition to a shrinking labor pool, skilled trades also face difficulty at the onset of the talent pipeline. Many early-career candidates come from four-year college programs in construction management rather than skilled trade apprenticeship programs, and don’t always understand the growing value of specialized skills. 

What can the average construction firm do to address this issue and be a favorable destination for the next generation of skilled laborers? 

Employers can do outreach through job fairs, seek referrals from existing employees, and become more intentional about marketing to the candidate pool rather than potential customers only. People need to know that skilled trades can be just as lucrative and rewarding as more generalized project management work.

Retention Tactics to Reduce The Construction Skills Gap

Retention may be the most efficient place to focus your efforts. As competition for skilled trade talent intensifies, construction firms have been implementing increasingly extreme measures to retain their workers' satisfaction. It’s increasingly common to see skilled-trade wages paid to keep top talent even during downtime in production schedules. Higher wages, more flexibility, and additional perks for workers with the scarcest skill sets are all regarded as requirements for firms to remain competitive.

Broaden The Talent Pool With Construction Staffing Solutions

The talent gap may widen to the point where construction firms of all sizes will need to look at expanding the talent pool to include international laborers. 

Also underway is a gradual reduction of threshold requirements for skilled laborers. In some roles where such clearances are not required by regulations, background checks and drug testing are going away. 

Build Relationships With Construction Staffing Providers

As the skills gap widens for certain niche skill sets, the job market is likely to evolve a new mindset for employing skilled tradespeople. Contingent labor subcontracting is likely to emerge to fill the need more efficiently. Construction staffing agencies moving towards managed services are a valuable resource to lean on as this trend continues.

While it’s not ideal to wait for new vendors and products, the above-listed strategies can put you in a better spot when they arrive. In the meantime, construction firms should remain committed to their original purpose of attracting and retaining existing talent. 

To find out how you can adjust your hiring approach to better fit your local talent market, reach out to Aerotek today.

FAQ: Construction staffing solutions and the skills gap

1. What is the construction skills gap and why does it matter?
Many skilled trades professionals are retiring, while fewer apprentices enter the field. The result is project delays, higher costs and more competition for talent.

2. How do construction staffing solutions help right now?
Staffing partners expand your candidate reach, speed up hiring and add flexible options for peaks. They also provide market insight to calibrate pay and shift structures.

3. Which construction recruitment strategies attract skilled trades?
Build apprenticeships with on-the-job training, recruit from trade schools and the military, use employee referrals, and keep job posts clear about pay, shifts and growth.

4. What retention tactics reduce the impact of the skills gap?
Offer predictable schedules, paid training, recognition programs and defined career ladders. Tie pay steps to verified skills and support supervisors with coaching.

5. When should we partner with a construction staffing agency?
Engage a partner for high-volume ramps, hard-to-find certifications, tight timelines or new market launches. A staffing agency can supply vetted talent and scalable teams.