Article written by Kim Slowey, ConstructionDive, March 30, 2017
Dive Brief:
- A Turner Construction Company executive testified before a U.S. Senate subcommittee along with other executives in the construction and manufacturing industries on Wednesday, giving lawmakers a full picture of the staffing and skills challenges that the industry faces.
- Rory DeJohn, a senior vice president at Turner, told the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation that current construction activity is on par with that of 2007, yet there are 100,000 fewer workers. Younger people aren’t choosing careers in the industry, despite competitive salaries, and older workers are aging out.
- DeJohn also addressed the lack of students in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) programs and said there are currently only 58,000 people working toward a civil engineering degree, which is the same number as in 2011. Since then, he said, the volume of construction activity has increased by 50%.
