XPost: alt.politics.democrats, alt.building.construction, alt.so   
   iety.liberalism   
   XPost: talk.politics.guns, sac.politics, alt.politics   
   From: remailer@domain.invalid   
      
   In article    
      
   GenZ is too fucking lazy to work.  Kill them all.   
      
      
   The construction sector is a fundamental backbone of the nation –   
   without structures created by construction workers, Americans would   
   have nowhere to eat, sleep, work, or live. And yet, the industry is   
   currently battling the highest level of unfilled job openings ever   
   recorded.   
      
   According to an outlook from Associated Builders and Contractors, a   
   trade group for the non-union construction industry, construction   
   firms will need to attract an estimated 546,000 additional workers   
   on top of the normal pace of hiring in 2023 to meet the demand for   
   labor. The construction industry averaged more than 390,000 job   
   openings per month in 2022, the highest level on record, while   
   unemployment in the sector of 4.6% was the second lowest on record.   
      
   A long-term labor force problem   
   There are simply not enough workers to keep up with the growing   
   demand for houses, hospitals, schools, and other structures. What’s   
   more, with the passage of Biden’s infrastructure bill, American   
   municipalities have large sums of money to invest in the   
   revitalization of their buildings, but no one to perform said   
   revitalization. The number of online applications for roles in the   
   construction industry fell 40% at the beginning of the pandemic and   
   has remained flat since, according to ZipRecruiter data from April.   
      
   “Despite sharp increases in interest rates over the past year, the   
   shortage of construction workers will not disappear in the near   
   future,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu in a February release   
   on its labor supply and demand outlook.   
      
   “There is a labor shortage. There are about 650,000 workers missing   
   from the construction industry, and construction backlogs are now at   
   a four-year high,” said Maria Davidson, CEO and Founder of Kojo, a   
   materials management company in an interview with CNBC’s Lori Ann   
   Larocco.   
      
   The labor challenges come at a time when the construction sector is   
   facing other supply headwinds that arose since the pandemic.   
      
   “The landscape has dramatically changed since February 2020,”   
   Davidson said. “Commercial construction materials prices are now 40%   
   higher than they were back in February 2020. When you think about   
   materials availability, it’s become dire. Panels and commonly used   
   equipment in everything from electrical to mechanical installation   
   are now more than a year in delay. And that’s made it very difficult   
   for contractors all over the country to get the materials they need   
   and be able to install them on time and keep projects on budget.”   
      
   The construction sector’s labor issues are showing up across the   
   economy.   
      
   “I think the biggest place we’re seeing it show up right now is in   
   housing,” said Rucha Vankudre, an economist at Lightcast. “People   
   just aren’t getting things built the way they want.”   
      
   “In cases where you’re building a big hospital project, as an   
   example, you might have locked in the timeline that you expected to   
   complete something by back in 2019 and now be suffering the   
   consequences of the materials disruptions that we’re seeing,”   
   Davidson said.   
      
   What’s more, Davidson cited “delays cascade” — when a contractor or   
   construction company experiences a delay in one trade, or a   
   disruption in the supply chain for one material, that will delay   
   their next trade or next material acquisition as well.   
      
   For construction workers, pay is booming   
   For workers who seek construction jobs, the timing has never been   
   better.   
      
   “They’re making more money. It’s a workers’ market,” said Brian   
   Turmail, vice president of public affairs and strategic initiatives   
   at Associated General Contractors of America. “The construction   
   industry is now paying 80% more than the average non-farm job in the   
   United States.”   
      
   There is a constant supply of work, and the opportunity to make   
   additional income working overtime hours that would not be available   
   if the labor pool wasn’t so tight.   
      
   Turmail cited an aging labor force as a reason for the continued   
   shortage. Workers retire at earlier ages since it is such a   
   physically demanding industry, and the labor force skews older.   
   Construction firms have been incentivizing workers to delay their   
   retirement and work as trainers or teachers.   
      
   Even under these pro-worker conditions, a shift in American work   
   culture has played a role in limiting the attractiveness of the   
   field to job seekers.   
      
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)