Impacts of Labor Shortages and COVID-19 on the Construction Industry

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to identify labor shortage issues in the construction industry and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Skilled labor is a key part of what drives the construction industry, and it continues to be a struggle to replace and train an aging workforce. This study is meant to develop an understanding of factors contributing to a lack of skilled labor in the construction industry and looking at potential solutions to reduce the skilled labor issues. This study identifies labor issues in the United States (US) as well as on a global level to determine if skilled labor issues are localized or a global issue. In addition, data is gathered from a US based construction organization identified as Company XYZ to determine what effects shortages in skilled labor and the recent COVID-19 pandemic had on labor productivity. Literature review and construction data is used to identify possible solutions that can be implemented to help reduce the labor shortages facing the industry.