Welcome to summer! While some business professionals are slowing down, construction is often ramping up. This is the perfect time to think about how to work more efficiently and that will require thinking about people, process, and technology. So, to kick off a new blog series, let’s consider the value of the people in our workforce.
In many construction organizations, people are in fact one of the most critical components on the jobsite—and as we know in many industries they are in short supply. Such is the case in construction where we know the industry will need to attract an estimated 501,000 additional workers on top of the normal pace of hiring in 2024 to meet the demand for labor.
People still do the work, all while leveraging unique technologies and tools. They plan, manage, direct, drill, hammer, and collaborate. They are the heart and the soul of the jobsite. They are also the innovators that will bring new ideas to align corporate mission with outcomes. They will deliver the homes, buildings, and infrastructure of tomorrow—all while doing it safely and efficiently.
Here’s the really cool part. On the construction jobsite, we have a wide consortium of workers. We have the Baby Boomers who, even though many have retired or will retire soon, have the knowledge about how projects can be built efficiently and safely. These are the workers who can create a competitive bid simply using the knowledge that exists in their heads. Somehow, we to leverage knowledge management systems that will capture the information in the heads of these workers and help to pass it on to younger generations. This will likely soon be possible with the rise of generative AI (artificial intelligence).
Looking beyond the Baby Boomer generation, we also have younger generations currently in the trenches in construction. We have Gen X, Y (millennials), and Gen Z. Generally speaking, these younger generations are often socially engaged, and they also want to be a part of something bigger. With the right messaging, construction can reach this generation. As we all know, construction builds some of the most critical infrastructure in the world, giving the younger generations an opportunity to be a part of something much bigger, which leads to a rewarding and fulfilling career.
Still, it must be said while there is a wide range of people on the construction jobsite, there are still many missing. Construction must better target all demographics (genders, races, ethnicities, orientation, educations, etc.) in order to have a well-rounded jobsite and well-rounded experiences on the jobsite. This will ultimately bring greater innovation in the future.
All in all, the worker of tomorrow is going to be different from the worker of today in many ways. They want greater innovation and flexibility. Technology like prefab can give new opportunities to a new generation of workers.
We find some interesting data in our report Who Is the Worker of Tomorrow? We found the top eight reasons construction workers stay in their current position vary. For some it is technology, for others it is the people, for others it is the interest in the work.
Collectively, we need to understand the importance of the people that are in our business. True transformation starts there. Join me next week as we continue this blog series, looking at people, process, and technology in the construction industry.Want to tweet about this article? Use hashtags #construction #IoT #sustainability #AI #5G #cloud #edge #futureofwork #infrastructure #people #workforce