The construction industry’s skilled-labor and engineering shortage continues to escalate from a perfect storm—a confluence of those who left the field and didn’t come back, those about to retire in droves, and those uninterested in joining the ranks.

The root of the industry’s labor shortage goes back to the Great Recession of late 2007 to June, 2009 when nearly two million people exited the construction industry. Many companies used the slowdown as a chance to retool, but the harsh reality is that many workers didn’t return. That, coupled with the imminent retirement of 20% of an aging construction industry workforce over the next 10 years, means the industry is facing a major workforce and skills gap.

而且，将下一代与建筑行业配对时，预测看起来并不好。最近的一项行业调查发现，有70％的公司难以填补职位，有75％的公司认为明年情况只会变得更糟。

It’s not all bad news, though: While students and young workers are not replacing the previous generation at a high rate because of their perceptions that construction work is a physical, hands-on, non-technical industry, those perceptions can be changed. By showing them what’s actually happening in the industry, they can be convinced that the construction industry is a tech-focused, engaging, and exciting place to be.

Lure of Social Impact and Gaming Technology

尽管建筑行业在其他行业的技术投资方面落后于其他行业，但这正在改变，因为建筑技术已经对提高质量，降低风险，缩短时间表和提高利润率产生巨大影响。

通过建立这一成功并因硅谷等创新而享有声誉，并采用精通技术，技术优先的方法，该行业将在吸引人才方面做得更好，并将缩小熟练工人的短缺/需求差距和工程师。通过展示进步技术如何解决长期存在的建筑行业问题，该行业将诱使前景，并希望获得令人兴奋，有意义和创新的机会。

建筑行业需要向下一代展示其对现实人物所见，生活和居住的东西的影响。无论是帮助他们从自然灾害中恢复过来，还是解决满足不断增长的世界人口需求的建筑物和基础设施的紧迫需求，有一个巨大的机会为改善人们的生活做出宝贵的贡献。

这也是关于“sexy” back to construction, which means bringing attractive, cutting-edge technology to the forefront. It means showing aspiring designers and engineers how those who can model and animate in 3D and work in animation, virtual reality, and augmented reality can expect to apply their skills in new, exciting, and fast-developing ways to improve the construction industry of the future.

致电所有程序员和增强工人

General contractors now are becoming technology developers with many companies creating customized and scalable solutions to solve design, engineering, and manufacturing challenges. They are using cloud-based developer platforms to create rich data ecosystems on worksites, linking computer models, on-site workers, project management, and back-end record keeping. There is significant opportunity for customized programming (and programmers) to support the industry’s drive to develop new systems and software to help firms be more competitive.

同时，技术正在推动建筑的工业化。工作现场正在成为高科技，露天工厂，利用预制，模块化结构和3D打印，以彻底改变行业并创造更高效的计算机辅助建筑物方法。这不仅会影响建筑环境，而且由于工人正在寻找更理想的建筑物方法，这使员工对职业的满意度更高，同时帮助承包商提高了底线。

Connecting With the Future Workforce

在行业中，技术的创新使用是一个令人信服的故事，但是要说的是，它将引起共鸣，建筑公司需要向学生和潜在工人进行更多的宣传。他们不仅应该创建和扩展实习计划，以将建筑管理学生带到工作站点，而且还应该与在动画，计算机科学和视频游戏开发等领域的建筑学科外学习的学生建立联系。新利18备用这种宣传不仅将有助于改变学生对建筑中技术的看法，而且通过吸引分享他们在其他学科中学到的知识的非传统新员工，公司将有助于将更多的技术带入建筑预告片中。

建筑公司还应该更多地专注于对接。建筑管理课程的学生通常会在大三和大四时通过顶峰计划。总承包商和商业开发商应与大学建立联系，并使用此类计划来创建允许这些学生申请和试行新建筑技术的联合项目。新利18备用网址这是学生获得动手体验的好方法，并使该行业挖掘出可以培养并有可能聘用的人才库，并有可能在学生毕业并进入工作世界中雇用。

The construction industry can start building the pipeline even earlier with increased investment in STEM education. Connecting younger students with the construction industry and showing them the technology they can use on the job site and the role they can play in the built environment is an important message. Construction associations, such as the Associated Builders and Contractors and the Associated General Contractors, should continue to reach out via their student chapters. It’s a great way for them to start building mentorships that connect students with professionals.

Growth and Evolution Through Diversity

建筑是技术中断的行业，但在多样性方面也已经成熟了，这是扩大人才库和吸引年轻工人的另一种方法。该行业可以做很多事情来打破一个非常以男性为主的行业的刻板印象，例如与行业协会和媒体合作，并为讨论挑战现状的讨论创建平台。

该行业需要进入教育领域，激发男孩和女孩，并为多样性开放和自豪。Skanska是一家全球建筑和工程公司，是对建筑中妇女做出巨大承诺的众多公司之一。促进性别多样性是该公司的文化支柱之一，Skanska将其女性领导者带到前面并以每一个可能的机会为中心。

建筑是建立在协作的行业。聆听解决问题的不同方法，专注于技术进步，并鼓励更多的人参与，只能帮助建设蓬勃发展。

建筑行业可以支持和赋予技术变革和多样性。这段时间的快速变化是改变建筑行业和建筑工人构成的机会。

莎拉·霍奇斯（Sarah Hodges）是Autodesk的建筑业务线总监。本专栏最初以博客的形式出版Autodesk Redshift。