The Growing Need For Construction Workers (How to avoid a labor shortage by working with an expert recruiter).
With the demand for high-end residential units reaching an all-time high, construction companies are in need of highly skilled and experienced workers now more than ever before. However, with the current labor shortage, finding the right workers is a challenge when you’re not working with recruiters who know how to find you the best candidates.
The Growing Need for Construction Workers
A surge in demand for luxury homes combined with a slow supply chain for the last few years, and a labor shortage has caused the perfect storm for high-end builders. Desirable locations like New York City are being hit the hardest, with the New York Post reporting that the city has lost around 300,000 workers since 2020.
The labor shortage is poised to get worse for the construction industry, as more aging workers head into retirement. According to a report by the Associated General Contractors of America, 80% of construction firms have difficulty finding qualified workers. The report also found that more than half of the firms surveyed expect the labor shortage to worsen in the coming years. Without access to a pool of highly-skilled workers, some companies may fail to keep up with demand. More project delays, increased costs, and a loss of business will take many companies out of the industry altogether. A few companies, however, will rise above the challenge and end up victoriously leading the future in luxury construction. These are the companies that recognize the growing need for highly-skilled construction workers and reevaluate their recruiting strategies now.
Avoiding a Labor Shortage
Expert recruiters play a crucial role in helping construction companies overcome or avoid a labor shortage. By leveraging extensive networks and industry knowledge, recruiters identify the most qualified candidates for specialized roles and provide valuable insights into emerging hiring trends (check out our previous article about how to appeal to millennial workers).
Additionally, recruiters can help companies reevaluate their recruitment strategies to appeal to a broader pool of potential candidates, including those from underrepresented groups. By partnering with experienced recruiters, construction firms can ensure that they have access to the top talent in the industry, giving them a competitive advantage in an increasingly challenging market.
How Expert Recruiting Helps Construction Companies Hire & Retain Top Workers
Working with experienced recruiters helps construction companies avoid a labor shortage by providing access to a pool of highly skilled and experienced workers, as well as other time-saving and money-saving benefits.
Streamlined recruitment processes - Recruiters have access to advanced recruiting technology that streamlines the recruitment process. Making finding and hiring the best candidates faster than any company can do on its own. This means that companies can fill vacant positions quickly, minimizing delays and ultimately keeping projects on track. Many recruiting agencies also have technology that allows companies to track job applicants through the entire process—from job listing to scheduling interviews and post-interview surveys. This tracking provides valuable information on the process and helps companies improve their recruiting workflow strategies over time.
Expertise in specific construction niches - For every specialized construction company, there is a recruiting agency that deeply understands its niche. The luxury residential construction industry requires recruiters who know the industry’s needs, future outlook, and the skills required for various roles. This expertise allows recruiters to provide valuable insights and advice to companies on recruiting strategies and best practices. Leading companies to build a strong employer brand and attract the best candidates.
Flexibility and adaptability - Working with a recruiting agency should be a positive experience. One of many ways agencies work well with companies is by being flexible and adaptable to the needs of their clients. Whether a company needs to fill a single position or multiple positions, agencies like CLT provide the right level of support to meet each client's needs. Adapting to changing circumstances is also important. Companies experience unexpected changes and challenges every day—it’s up to recruiters like us to adjust strategies quickly so all challenges are overcome quickly.
Access to a larger pool of candidates - Recruiting agencies also have access to a larger pool of candidates than companies do. Allowing recruiters to find qualified candidates faster than a company can do on its own. One way recruiters do this is by fostering relationships with “passive candidates”. These are highly-qualified candidates who are not actively in the job-seeking market but are open to listening when the right opportunity comes along. Recruiters don’t sift through mountains of resumes, but rather proactively seek the right candidates by getting to know them individually and building trust with them over time. This high level of networking goes far above and beyond what a company can do internally.
Providing objective assessments - Recruiting agencies can provide objective assessments of all candidates, which helps companies avoid making costly hiring mistakes. Many recruiters also handle conducting thorough background checks, employment history verification, criminal record checks, and finding other relevant information to ensure every candidate is a good fit for the role and the company.
Impeccable negotiation - Recruiting agencies like CLT help take the burden of negotiation off the backs of the company. Negotiating salaries and benefits packages with candidates is often a difficult task for companies—especially companies that don’t have someone with negotiation experience. Working with experienced recruiters means you get a top-notch negotiator that will ensure your company stays competitive, attracts top talent, and also minds the bottom line.
Maintain candidate relationships - A recruiting agency can follow up with and stay in touch with candidates who may not be the right fit for a particular role but could be a good fit for future positions. Taking the burden off of companies to maintain relationships with semi-qualified applicants.
Provide industry insights - Recruiting agencies always stay on top of industry news and changes. They do this in part so that they can provide valuable insights into industry trends and talent availability. Additionally, this helps recruiters help companies to stay competitive and remain attractive to the most qualified job-seekers.
Guarantee placement - Some recruiting agencies offer a guarantee on their placements, meaning that they will replace the candidate or refund the company's fee if the candidate does not work out within a certain timeframe. This gives companies peace of mind and reduces the risk of getting an unqualified or unfit hire.
How CLT is Leading The Way
The demand for high-end residential properties reaching new heights, and the growing labor shortage is making production an increasing challenge. More aging workers are heading toward retirement and fewer new skilled workers are joining the industry. So luxury construction companies must find new and innovative ways to attract and retain top talent. Working with expert recruiters like CLT is a guaranteed way to avoid staffing shortages and project delays—while also building a relevant employee brand that qualified builders are excited to work for.
Our current clients keep an edge in the market by staying up to date with industry changes, hiring best practices, and employment trends. They also stay positioned to attract qualified candidates from all over the nation. Doing what we do best to help them keep up with their demand for employees helps them do what they do best—build magnificent residential spaces for their eager clients.
If you’re in the New York City area and ready for a recruiting strategy that takes your company to the next level, reach out to us through our online contact form or by calling (212) 634-9353.