Contractors are struggling to find enough skilled craft workers even as they continue to be impacted by pandemic-induced project delays and supply chain disruptions,根据劳动力调查from the Associated General Contractors of America and Autodesk. The survey results show how the COVID-19 pandemic has created constraints on the demand for work even as it limits the number of workers that contractors can hire.

Almost nine out of 10 surveyed contractors reported they are having difficulty finding craft workers. Meanwhile, 88% of the 2,136 participating decision-makers from a range of several contractor types said they are experiencing project delays and nearly all, 93%, said their businesses have been affected by rising materials prices.

For comparison, 52% of a similar-sized group of contractors said they were having a hard time finding enough craft workers在去年的调查中。

"Nearly nine out of 10 firms are experiencing project delays among all respondents," said Ken Simonson, chief economist for the AGC, at a Sept. 2 press conference. "75% cite delays due to longer lead times or shortages of materials while 57% cite delivery delays. 61% of firms said that their projects are being delayed because of shortages among those of their subcontractors. Delays due to the lack of approvals or inspectors or an owner's directive to halt or redesign a project were cited by 30% of contractors."

随着工人的继续稀缺，技术采用再次上升。调查中有57％的受访者表示，在过去的12个月中，其公司的技术采用率有所提高。

而且，“将近60％的人表示，他们预计技术采用率将在未来12个月内进一步提高，” Autodesk的建筑思想领导总监艾莉森·斯科特（Allison Scott）说。“因此，在组织层面上，我们与AGC的研究还发现，今年将近一半的公司采用了项目管理技术，超过四分之一的受访者报告了采用其他类别的工具，例如估计竞标，文档管理，劳动力管理和现场安全。”

加强招聘工作

Scott said that construction will have to look for more ways to partner with local, state and federal officials and trade groups such as AGC to meet the challenge of its workforce difficulties. She also said diverse outreach to women and minority groups is essential to the industry's future.

"Firms are driving toward a focus on trying to meet talent where they are, amping up social media presences, trying to get a peek behind the jobsite fence and giving folks a perception of what kinds of roles and skill sets are really out there for the modern construction workforce and as technology partners to this industry," she said.

Stephen Sandherr, CEO of the AGC, said that Congress and the Biden administration should work together to increase investments in career and technical education and other workforce development measures.

"It's important to note that the federal government currently spends only $1 on career training for every $6 plus into college prep," Sandherr said. "That is $120 billion a year for colleges and only $20 billion a year for career training. Despite the fact only one in three jobs requires a full college degree. This funding gap for career training is one of the main reasons so many contractors have a low opinion of the current pipeline for preparing new craft construction professionals. Boosting federal investments in career and technical education will help attract and prepare more people for high paying careers in construction."

西蒙森说，招聘仍然是一场斗争。劳工统计局上个月的月度职位空缺和劳动力流动调查说，6月底的开放是21年来报告的任何报告最高的。

西蒙森说，虽然该局的调查可能会有很多变化，但结果“与我们的受访者告诉我们的内容相吻合。”

用疫苗任务摔跤

密苏里州斯普林菲尔德的Carson-Mitchell公司总裁/首席运营官克里斯·卡森（Chris Carson）表示，尽管他的公司能够满足其大部分劳动力需求，但密苏里州和阿肯色州的分包商社区却没有。

他说：“如果他们找不到人，那是一个问题。。

“这里有很多工作。人员配备是一个问题，但是供应问题可能是杀死我们的问题，最有可能是因为我们在该国中部，但我们根本无法让供应商和制造商获得我们准时的事情正在越来越好，但是我们还有很长的路要走。”

桑德尔指出，设定自己的疫苗接种授权的学校和医院等项目所有者会带来更多的挑战，总承包商必须应对。

"In the situation where you're the general contractor on a hospital, and you employ or contract a series of specialty trade subcontractors to perform work on that project, you have suppliers coming into the project. You have building inspectors coming onto the project. And with these vaccination mandates that come from public and private project owners, it basically sets the general contractor up to be the policeman ... to make sure everybody who steps on that site has had, or has been vaccinated."

He added: "You can't compel your subcontractors to provide information on that or your suppliers and you can't control if a city building inspector wants to enter that site."

Both Carson and Brett Strassel, vice president of operations at Hedrick Brothers Construction in West Palm Beach, Fla., said they have no plans to mandate vaccinations for their companies at this time.

"We're letting everybody handle their personal health on an individual basis with their primary care physician and their family," Carson said. "We are not going to make anything mandatory other than following the CDC guidelines, OSHA and AGC to have a healthy and safe work environment."

桑德尔说，AGC没想到会将其指导更改为会员承包商，以鼓励疫苗接种，但仍将选择为个人。卡森说，一个指标将更多的工人转向与Covid-19接种疫苗，这是由于休假时间而远离现场并损失薪水的潜力。西蒙森说，整个行业的建筑疫苗接种率继续徘徊在50％左右。

Supply Chain Woes

Carson and Stressel both said materials procurement was still the biggest issue facing them.

“我们是一个大的块builder down here and never in my 25 years in the field have I run a problem getting the delivery of block that afternoon or the next morning. Now, we're routinely looking at 30 days, which is just alarming," Strassel said.

He adds that Hedrick Brothers has also seen "tremendous delays" on metal- and steel-based products, adding: "That's our number one issue down here by far is getting things moving forward."

Carson said he does not foresee the supply chain and logistics challenges plaguing contractors changing very soon.