Skilled tradesmen, and women, are in high demand to fill open construction jobs all over New England right now. And it’s a job seeker’s market. That means it’s going to be challenging to find and hire the tradespeople you need.
So how can you compete in this tight labor market?
In this post, we’ll discuss:
- The Current Skills Gap In The Construction Trades
- How To Close The Gap
- Importance Of Developing A Long-Term Plan
Is there a skills gap in the construction trades?
According to job board giant Indeed: The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that construction jobs should grow by 12% between 2016 and 2026, a rate higher than the national average for all other jobs. The construction field offers many career options, from entry-level positions to jobs for highly skilled or certified workers.
And these are good jobs that provide long-term career opportunities for job seekers and younger workers. According to the skills training experts at the New England Institute of Technology in Massachusetts alone, the average wage for a skilled tradesman is $65,520.
That’s a great-paying job and a long-term career opportunity with additional non-direct-compensation benefits.
So how do you close the skills acquisition gap?
It would help if you implemented formal training programs for employees interested in learning and pursuing careers in the trades. It would help if you also were conscious of promoting from within.
Form a recruiting and hiring strategy with your hiring team. You have skilled tradesmen and women capable of training your construction laborers and helpers for more advanced positions—take advantage of their ability to teach.
Ensure that employees are aware of these great opportunities for advancement through access to internal job boards and web portals, etc. Recruiting from within will give you a ready-made source of future skilled tradespeople.
Also, get engaged in partnerships with trade schools, colleges, learning institutions, and apprenticeship programs of all types in your region. It would help if you also considered a partnership with a senior construction recruiting firm that understands your local job markets.
The importance of developing a long-term plan.
Your training, recruiting, and hiring strategy can’t be a one-and-done mentality. You have to be in it for the long haul, not just for your current hiring crisis. And don’t forget that retention is also a key element in the strategy.
Always stay on top of the need for significant, competitive compensation and non-direct-compensation benefits for your skilled trades employees.
Always be recruiting! Whether you’re keeping your eye out for great skilled trades talent for future projects or just making sure your current employees are satisfied—keep your finger on the pulse of your workforce.
Get the skilled construction workers you need from the expert recruitment team at Skilled Trades Partners. Whether you need temporary, specialized talent for a project or want to add skilled tradespeople to your permanent workforce, we can provide employees who are qualified, vetted, and ready to work.
When you partner with Skilled Trades Partners, you can expect our team to help you:
- Access the skilled, specialized tradespeople you need—quickly!
- Control labor costs
- Increase productivity
- Complete projects on time
Are you a construction hiring manager or hiring specialist with a skilled trades job search, or searches, underway?
Call us today at one of our four New England office locations:
Maine: 207-888-2683, New Hampshire: 603-237-1880, Connecticut: 860-200-1374, Massachusetts: 508-689-9728
Or get in touch online. Our expert skilled trades recruiters are waiting for your call.
