A new analysis from the American Society of Landscape Architects highlights the need for construction workforce stability. Recent studies throughout the industry predict that by 2030, the industry will face a gap of millions of skilled trades positions, driven by demographics, slow training pipelines and growing demand for housing, infrastructure, as well as climate-resilient projects, unless we begin the conversation about construction workforce stability.
“As design professionals, we need to begin to make workforce stability a normal part of the conversation; not as politics, but as a health, safety and welfare issue that affects every project,” said Annette P. Wilkus, FASLA, RLA, founding Partner of SiteWorks.
Statistics demonstrate what we have always known: Construction builds the economy, requiring strong workforces behind it. The construction industry adds roughly $1.2 trillion to U.S. gross domestic product each year, about 5% of the nation’s total economic output. The sector generates around $3 trillion in annual revenue and directly employs about 7.3 million workers, making it one of the largest job-creating industries in the U.S.
