How Construction Staffing Solutions Can Solve Common Barriers to Hiring
The construction industry has faced its fair share of challenges over the past few years—that’s no secret.
But as we round out 2022 and head into 2023, optimism about the health and growth of the industry abounds. While this is welcome news for businesses across the country, one thorn is still firmly embedded in their sides: the lack of available talent.
As the demand for most projects increases month after month, deploying effective, strategic construction staffing solutions sooner rather than later is paramount.
In this blog, we’ll cover just why hiring is so challenging today and, most importantly, break down what you can do about it.
What Are the Most Common Barriers to Hiring Construction Labor?
Far and away, the most significant difficulty facing construction companies is the overwhelming shortage of qualified workers. By the end of 2021 alone, there were 345,000 unfilled construction positions. And in 2023, that number is projected only to rise.
Experts forecast that the industry will need to hire 590,000 new workers on top of normal hiring just to meet increasing demand.
Aptly describing the situation’s urgency, ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu explains, “The workforce shortage is the most acute challenge facing the construction industry.”
Another variable affecting the hiring climate is the climbing age of the workforce. The average age of retirement in the construction industry is 61, and 20% of construction workers are currently older than 55.
Three Ways How Construction Staffing Solutions Can Help
For every obstacle, there is a way around it.
Despite the current hiring struggles, partnering with an experienced staffing firm that delivers custom construction staffing solutions can drastically improve talent acquisition efforts, even in a tight labor market.
Here’s how:
1) More Diverse Hires
One tried and true technique to overcome sapped talent pools is to look beyond traditional targets. Expanding your hiring scope by region, ethnicity, and gender, for example, can significantly boost the number of available candidates.
Besides remedying labor gaps, workforces that are more diverse consistently report more productivity, higher engagement, and less turnover. Companies with a staff high in diversity are also considerably more attractive to other jobseekers, enhancing recruiting effectiveness even further.
If your company is looking to ramp up its diversity hiring initiatives, partnering with a staffing firm can be just the catalyst you need.
2) Access to Job-Ready Candidates
Finding enough candidates is one thing; finding qualified candidates is another.
Besides simply saving time and energy on recruiting, partnering with a specialized staffing firm instantly delivers a vast network of proven, experienced tradesmen and tradeswomen from which to hire. No matter if your needs call for carpenters and welders or estimators and project managers, staffing firms work year-round to maintain their networks of professionals.
Recruiters also handle the vetting and background-checking process for their clients, drastically increasing time-to-hire rates in addition to the boost in quality.
3) Contract Staffing for Seasonal or Project-Related Rush
In the construction industry, a perfect hire one day can become an imperfect hire the next.
Because business needs change from month to month (if not week to week!), a “one-size-fits-all” hiring approach is rarely a reliable strategy. Staffing firms offer multiple solutions like contract or contract-to-hire to meet your specific needs in both the busy and not-so-busy times of the year.
You Can Rely on RHM’s Construction Staffing Solutions
At RHM Staffing Solutions, we know that hiring skilled construction workers is more paramount to your success than ever. Our team of dedicated construction recruiters is here to help your company win the talent it needs to continue to thrive and is equipped with the network and expertise required to do it quickly and effectively. Contact us today to get started.