By, Hilary Gennaro
March 31, 2026
Imagine if your chosen career was in an industry facing a labor shortage of nearly half a million workers. Imagine you were a business owner in this industry tasked with balancing the needs of your customers and clients, but not having the work force to accommodate those needs. Imagine further that despite the negative impact of a labor shortage, this industry was more necessary than ever.
That industry is construction.
In 2026, according to Associated Builders and Contractors, the construction industry “needs to attract approximately 349,000 net new workers”. This number is based not only on what is needed to keep up with demand, but also what is needed to replace retiring staff. The construction industry is unique in that it requires experienced, highly-trained individuals, but fewer people are entering the trades, and the workforce is aging out faster than new recruits are coming in. Furthermore, there are many increased costs that construction companies face in order to keep up with technological advancements, infrastructure investments, and continually increasing wage expectations.
Despite some industry sectors showing slower growth, construction is an expanding sector. The demand for new workers is expected to rise to 456,000 in 2027. Clearly, this is an industry with ample opportunity for employment, but employers face challenges with recruiting workers who want to remain in the field long-term, as many years are generally required to gain the skills and knowledge needed to be successful in the field. According to ABC, 92% of construction firms have reported difficulty finding workers. The result? Longer project schedules and higher labor costs. This is a negative outcome for both business owners and customers alike.
Despite economic challenges, this shortage is projected to persist. Possibilities for mitigating these problems include: increased vocational training (and increased access to such); technology adoption such as building information modeling, which reduces some of the need for physical workers; and developing a market-based work visa system to encourage immigration and open up an expanded pool of employees.
There may be some good news on the horizon, however. According to Fortune.com, “overall construction spending is poised to break a slump and return to growth for the first time in years.” The same article suggests that for every $1 billion spent on construction, there is a demand for 3,450 new jobs. This suggests that while many industries are transitioning to a reliance upon AI – effectively shooting U.S. workers and the economy in the foot, so to speak – skilled labor is still best suited to human beings.
Gennaro Contracting would love to be a part of bringing trade-based education to Mason County in the future. We have some strong technical schools in this area, but there seems to still be a need for construction-focused training. We envision a school where students have the opportunity to, for example, build a home from the ground up, all the way to demolition of the project at the end (a sort of reverse-process, but that still allows them to practice all aspects of the job).
As champions of the value of real human work and creativity, we certainly hope the tide will turn in favor of valuing the work humans have done, and still do. AI can be a helpful tool, but to allow – and even encourage – it to take over the creative, artistic, and skilled labor of human beings seems one of the worst possible outcomes for everyone. (And it is important to remember that everything AI learned, it learned from humans without paying any of them for their intellectual property and creativity. Now, we will soon be expected to pay for access to what AI took from us for free). In the meantime, we don’t just have to idly hope things will change for the better. if you know young people interested in the trades, you can encourage them on their journey by mentioning the high demand, potential for growth, and competitive compensation possible in the construction industry.
