The construction labor force is experiencing an occupational seesaw ride with the number of trade professionals declining while the number of the industry’s white-collar workers is rising.
According to a data analysis by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) of the latest 2024 data from the American Community Survey, the construction labor force exceeds 12.1 million workers, slightly above its mid-2000s peak. Construction trade professionals – including electricians, carpenters, painters, plumbers, and first-line supervisors – totaled 7.1 million workers, or 58.8% of the industry’s workforce. This is down from the peak of 8.5 million trade workers in 2006.
During the same time, white-collar construction industry employment grew, with management ranks expanding from 1.2 million to 2 million workers, a rise from 10% to 17% of the workforce.
“Several structural factors likely underpin these trends,” said Natalia Siniavskaia, assistant vice president for housing policy research at NAHB. “Advances in construction technologies—including digital design, project management software, and prefabrication—have increased demand for technical expertise. At the same time, a more stringent regulatory and building code environment has raised the need for administrative, compliance, and managerial functions.”
Siniavskaia added, “The changing workforce composition also coincides with declining self-employment rates in construction, suggesting a shift toward larger firms. These firms are generally better positioned to invest in new technologies, manage regulatory complexity, and absorb rising overhead costs.”
This is a BS article. The fact of the matter is that retirement is what is causing the deline in actual trades people. The school systems have pust college as the only option for post secondary eduction. However, apprenticeshps are the other 4 year degree. Electricians need and utilize STEM skills, so do plumbers and welders. Just because they are trades person doesn’t mean they don’t use or know how to use technology. The fact of the matter is that we are significantly short of skilled trades workers both within construction serving the housing and other industries.
My construction brother installed his new residential furnace the day after last Christmas though pursuing some impressive projects and having before undertaken the extensive restoration of my 1830’s home, while dismissing the use of technology. The high cost of materials and regulatory environment has caused some to quit the trades. Surprisingly, noting the lack, Home Depot has pursued workforce development providing a site for contractors to review resumes from nominally trained applicants as well as those who are experienced.