“Our workforce has never been this old throughout history,” he told more than 160 attendees at the HVCIP conference. “Baby Boomers are aging in the workforce and are exiting the workforce in record numbers.”

Nationwide, the construction industry needs nearly half a million more workers with trades skills and experience to deliver in-demand projects in the next few years. In New York State alone, which has among the most extensive, heavily used transportation infrastructure in the world, the projected needs all levels of government face to procure construction services are also historic.

At the State Department of Transportation alone—an entity that the HVCIP membership works closely with—the jobs in-demand are diverse and require advanced skills and training to deliver complex design, construction, traffic engineering, facilities and structures as well as transportation maintenance.

Factors compounding the construction labor shortage are the cyclical nature of the economy, where demand rises and falls. For now, demand in many sectors that the organized sector of the construction marketplace HVCIP labor unions serve (mainly public works, schools and institutional) is robust. Other sectors, however, including office and retail, are relatively reduced. 

Another factor is that the U.S. has not stressed until only recently the education and training of enough blue-collar workers for jobs in construction and manufacturing, it was noted.

“At the same time, the demand for construction services is increasing due to the age of the nation’s infrastructure,” Mr. Cooney explained.

Organized labor is also joining the union contracting community to broaden its outreach to constituents that have not historically been drawn to the Building Trades for employment. Pat Purcell of LECET followed with a presentation that showcased the Laborers’ efforts to recruit more high school students into the labor ranks.

He laid out the education trust’s multi-timed approach to build awareness and understanding of the opportunities that await young recruits. He said steps include early engagement in the school year, with presentations made in the fall with a focus on all building trades unions. A second appeal during the winter months focuses on a presentation specific to LIUNA apprenticeship. Come spring, there are after-school presentation for students with an active interest and parents

“We will need to increase our outreach to the parents of these high school students to educate them to the advantages of a career in the trades,” he said. “We must broaden our efforts to increase the number of women and minorities to the construction trades.”

Together labor and management have the skill, the scale, and the structure to make this effort a success, Mr. Purcell added. “A career in the construction trades offers a world of opportunities.”

Published: March 13, 2025.