From 2014 to 2024, construction jobs will grow faster than the average for all other occupations, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Despite the apparent abundance of construction work, construction companies continue to struggle to find qualified workers, much less minority workers.
With more young people pursuing college degrees after high school, less are showing an interest in learning skilled trades, opting for other jobs that typically pay less and require less skills. The construction consumer’s demand for quality, competitive pricing and a diverse workforce is increasing all the time. The industry is in need of more minority workers, particularly now that more and more baby boomers are retiring.
Organizations that embrace a diverse workforce have a competitive advantage. Not only will employing workers with diverse cultural and language skills lead to a wider range of job opportunities, but it can also help businesses expand globally.
Why Hiring a Diverse Workforce matters
Hiring a diverse workforce is beneficial for several other reasons. First, employing workers with diverse skills and backgrounds creates an interesting environment for workers to continually learn from each other. A diverse work environment has been proven to boost innovation, productivity and creativity among workers.
When a business embraces a diverse workforce, the result is an improved understanding of its own customer base, plus it has a larger talent pool of workers to choose from in a market with a shrinking skilled labor force. Minority workers will be naturally drawn to the company, knowing that it has a reputation for treating workers fairly regardless of race, ethnicity or gender.
The merits of having a diverse labor force is not without its emotional benefits. Companies that give people of all genders and ethnic backgrounds a fair chance at work benefit from positive employer branding and public relations, plus it just makes the company feel good knowing it is helping disadvantaged communities and undoing the negative effects of oppression.
If a company can help a minority learn a skilled trade, the chances of that worker’s children learning a trade also increases, therefore helping to break the cycle of unemployment.
There are several techniques that companies can use to recruit and retain a diverse workforce, including the following.
- Mentor young minorities in middle and high school. Becoming a positive role model in the community and talking to minorities about the job security and financial benefits of learning a skilled trade will help develop the future labor force.
- Visit high schools, technical colleges, trade schools and universities throughout the company’s community to recruit minority students for training.
- Offer employees incentives to seek out and hire qualified minority workers. If the company wants to change a behavior quickly, tie it to employee compensation.
- Sponsor minorities as apprentices and give them a good start by providing tools and job assignments near public transportation when needed.
- Host minority students at company offices or jobsites to give them a first-hand look at how the construction business works and jobs that are available in the industry.
- Advertise job openings in local media outlets that target minorities such as newspapers, magazines, radio stations and websites.
- Get involved with community programs and non-profits that encourage minority participation.
- Create an employee handbook that outlines the company’s goals regarding minority participation.
Having a dedication to diversity will benefit a company on many levels. Believing in the cause and creating initiatives that embrace diversity and give minorities a path to a successful, life-long and respectable career is always a sound business strategy.
