A headline at TopBuildingJobs.com in 2007 declared: “U.S. Construction Industry Faces Skilled Labor Shortage”, explaining that the impending exit of the baby boomers would be an obstacle for the industry in years to come.

Bobby Rayburn, then president of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), identified “a shortage of skilled workers” as being “one of the most serious challenges” facing the homebuilding industry (source: Sacramento Business Journal).

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that over the past two years, employment growth in construction was higher than any other of the Bureau’s chief subcategories. Additionally, in 2005 – 2006 every region of the United States reported an increase in construction employment more than double the increase in total employment. In other words, construction has some of the strongest job growth of any major industry*.

With the baby boomers poised to retire, there will be a shortage of qualified and experienced people to sustain the industry’s demands. Also, with the exit of so many highly experienced individuals with long tenures in the industry, positions up the ladder will be opening up as well, meaning that individuals choosing to enter the construction industry today will not only find themselves comfortable with strong job security, but also fortunate in the host of opportunities available to them to climb the career ladder. In fact, the possibilities available to young people entering the industry today are phenomenal. The sheer variety of different positions, firms, and specialties, combined with excellent prospects for the future, make construction a top industry for employment to people smart enough to realize its potential.

* At the time of this writing, new unemployment figures showed that a substantial number of construction workers had been laid off due to current economic conditions. We feel that now, it is even more important for individuals who wish to compete in the marketplace to have affordable, high-quality instruction in their chosen field. Construction spending will eventually increase, and trained workers will be in high demand once more. As a non-profit organization, we do not rely on sales figures to provide the necessary profitability in order to remain viable. We do instead, provide valuable services to the communities that we serve, services which are vital during every economic cycle. The NAICP will continue to provide quality educational materials regardless of fluctuations in the economy.