Construction Workforce Shortages Reach Pre-pandemic Levels

Construction Workforce Shortages Reach Pre-pandemic Levels Even as Coronavirus Continues to Impact Projects & Disrupt Supply Chains

Eighty-Nine Percent of Contractors Are Having a Hard Time Finding Craft Workers, While 88 Percent of Firms Are Experiencing Project Delays and 93 Percent Are Affected by Rising Materials Prices

Construction firms are struggling to find enough qualified workers to hire even as they continue to be impacted by pandemic-induced project delays and supply chain disruptions, according to the results of a workforce survey conducted by the Associated General Contractors of America and Autodesk. The survey results underscore how the coronavirus pandemic has created constraints on the demand for work even as it limits the number of workers available to hire.

“Market conditions are nowhere near as robust as they were prior to the onset of the pandemic,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “At the same time, the pandemic and political responses to it are limiting the size of the workforce, leading to labor shortages that are as severe as they were in 2019 when demand for construction was more robust.”

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Materials:

• News Release
• 2021 Survey Analysis
• Remarks
• Comparative results

Fact Sheets:

• National 
• Midwest
• Northeast
• South
• West

State Fact Sheets:

• Oregon
• Washington
• View other states

Results by Union or Open-Shop

• Union
• Open-Shop

Results by Firms Size

• Under $50 Million
• $50.1 Million – $500 Million
• Over $500 Million

Results by Project Type:

• Building Construction
• Highway and Transportation
• Federal and Heavy
• Utility Infrastructure 

See all survey results.