According to statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor, the construction sector has experienced a steadily increasing number of job openings and projects. However, the skilled labor force hasn't kept up with this rise in demand. A study conducted by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) revealed that nearly 80% of construction firms report difficulty in filling hourly craft positions, and over 50% anticipate a shortage of qualified workers in the future.
To prepare for the future, retain our employees, and sustain projected growth, we must address this critical issue. Here are a few key points to consider:
Leadership Training
When crane companies invest and integrate leadership training into their employee development programs, it empowers employees and attracts excellent talent. In my experience, those who have the opportunity to advance their careers internally and receive training that allows them to make decisive and quick decisions on their own, understanding the core vision and values of leadership, results in more pride in the work they do, commitment, and empowerment.
Clear Defined Path
As people, we yearn for a vision and a clear path to accomplish that vision. More often than not in my career, I have encountered dilemmas in my career path that were obscure and did not offer a simple input = output representation. While it is layered and more complex than a simple formula, the entire employee development program should operate based on clearly defined review periods, milestones, pay increases, leadership involvement with the review process, additional responsibilities, and investment into personal and professional development.
Conclusion
Retention boils down to the above points. LinkedIn's 2023 Workplace Learning Report found that 93% of organizations are concerned about employee retention, and the number one way to improve retention is by "providing learning opportunities." In fact, 94% of workers said development opportunities would keep them in a role. These sobering statistics show that in the construction industry as a whole, the focus should be placed on developing our employees, and in return, we will retain them.
Aside from retention, another crucial point to note is that to prepare for the future, we also need to change the persona around blue-collar jobs, specifically crane operations, and make it "great again"! Craneaholics aims to empower and educate our younger generation who doesn't feel college is their first choice about the opportunities that lay within the sector and create a different perspective of a "hell yeah" mentality when it comes to pursuing this career choice.
