Leadership Development Critical Amid Labor Shortage

In January 2024, the construction industry had 407,000 job openings. While this bodes well for those seeking employment, it can have the opposite effect on the companies and employers who hire them. Coupled with the increasing skilled labor shortage, which is estimated to reach a deficit of 1.9 million by 2025, according to the Construction Labor Market Analyzer, the lack of skilled craft professionals has forced many employers to be less selective in their hiring.

In many cases, contractors have had little choice but to hire candidates who lack experience, potentially decreasing productivity, increasing risk and reducing their overall profitability. 

“The lack of available new talent has impacted companies throughout the industry, from small specialty contractors to the nation’s largest industrial construction firms. We frequently hear about the current difficulties in hiring from our contractor network who look to us for training solutions,” said Boyd Worsham, president and chief executive officer of the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER).

With less control over the quality of entry-level workers and the additional layer of uncertainty introduced, contractors should be hyper-focused on the quality of their project superintendents to mitigate those additional challenges. 

“With more complex projects, increased schedule demands and fewer experienced people, among other things, superintendents have to be better today than they were 10 or 20 years ago. Why not accelerate their learning through focused development and education? Field leadership can be more prepared and, more importantly, identify and manage issues before they occur,” said Worsham.

Through leadership development, superintendents are better equipped to manage the many demands of the project site, such as work planning, site logistics and risk management. Well-developed and certified superintendents deliver operational excellence and client satisfaction while reducing project risk.

With success and reputation on the line, it’s more important than ever for contractors to find ways to develop their field leaders. NCCER’s Construction Superintendent Certification Program allows companies to implement training, track progress and validate the skills needed in their superintendents. These enhanced skills lead to success within their internal workforce and strengthen the contractor partners they oversee. 

Learn more about NCCER’s new Construction Superintendent Certification Program by visiting nccer.org/super.