More construction businesses are starting to feel the effects of the labor burden. One contributing factor to the issue is the lack of younger workers. The Wall Street Journal’s Laura Kusisto says the share of workers who are 24 years old or younger has declined in 48 states since 2005. Throughout the nation, the share of younger construction workers declined almost 30% from 2005 to 2016. There is no single reason why younger people are losing interest, but Kusisto reports some possible issues.
Construction’s inability to attract young workers is something of a mystery, industry executives say.
Some note that many high schools cut vocational training programs during the recession and are only now bringing them back. Others point to parents’ desire for their children to get a college degree, the allure of technology jobs and the high cost of living in areas where jobs are most plentiful.
Some say builders’ rising costs are partly to blame. With rising material costs and wages, builders often don’t want to waste time and money on workers who aren’t already trained, said John Courson, president and chief executive of the Home Builders Institute, which trains at-risk youth, ex-offenders, high-school students and military personnel transitioning into the civilian workforce in the construction trade.
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