Workforce

Working for the Workforce

Associated Builders and Contractors members invested $1.6 billion in education in 2021.
By Rachel E. Pelovitz
September 29, 2022
Topics
Workforce

Associated Builders and Contractors members invested $1.6 billion to provide more than 1.3 million course attendees with craft, leadership and safety education in 2021, according to ABC’s 2022 Workforce Development Survey—up from $1.3 billion in 2020.

Safety education accounted for the greatest share—56%—of total workforce investment. Investment in craft education increased significantly, to 34% of the total in 2021, up from 22% in 2020, responding to the need for an estimated 650,000 additional construction workers in 2022. General and construction management contractors boosted their share of the total investment in workforce development to 65% in 2021 from 58% in 2020.

Additional key findings from the survey, which was conducted by FMI, include:

  • ABC member contractors invested an average of 7.4% of payroll in workforce education.
  • Women in management/supervisory roles ticked up to 19% in 2021 from 17% in 2020; women in craft/trade roles increased from 14% to 15%.
  • ABC members invested in safety education for an average of 51 employees.
  • More than half of respondents—61%—reported a labor shortage of severe or very severe, citing an exodus of Baby Boomers as the top contributor.
by Rachel E. Pelovitz

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