In February, Associated Builders and Contractors reported more than half a million workers would need to be hired in 2023 to meet demand in the construction industry, according to For Construction Pros. The industry still has not fully recovered from factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain issues and early retirement, and finding skilled workers continues to pose a challenge.
For Construction Pros emphasizes the importance of training and offers the following tips to help address the labor shortage.
- Invest in your people. One way to help recruit and retain young workers is to invest more in your education and training programs. Do not simply hire people—invest in them and expect employees to invest in you.
- Employ predictive interviewing. Training starts from the first interview, and predictive interviewing allows companies to accurately predict how successful someone will be in the position for which you are hiring. There are three basic steps: find your best employee and use him or her as a standard-bearer, or create a list of what you believe would make for the perfect employee; understand whether you are hiring for a highly skilled position or an entry-level employee and align your questions with the level of training required; and look beyond skills to determine whether a candidate has the type of personality that fits with the company culture you are trying to create—for example, is the candidate self-aware and able to receive feedback well?
- Continue training. Some companies train their employees for one job and stop there. You must create growth opportunities for employees by offering ongoing training that will help them improve and advance in their careers. For example, you regularly can ask experienced, successful employees to tell you about the friction points they encounter and then train around those problems.
- Cross-train employees. When you are at or near peak staffing, you should fully examine your operations, identify potential staffing shortages or skills vulnerabilities, and develop a cross-training initiative to help close the gaps. Broaden your employees’ job responsibilities and give them a chance to practice their new role. More workers will be knowledgeable about certain roles and can help bring more scrutiny and improve efficiency.
- Evaluate your training system. It is important you examine your company’s training so you can determine whether it is working. You want your employees to perform their jobs consistently well, see a clear path for advancement, enjoy coming to work every day and be able to create the result you seek.
