The offsite industry talks about the shortage of skilled trades but not a lot is being done to invite or train the Gen Z crowd beyond what each individual factory is doing.
Skilled construction trades are occupations that require a special skill, knowledge or ability which can be obtained at a local college, technical school or through specialized training. Skilled trades provide an alternative to jobs that require four years of a college education.
Learning a skilled trade can be one of the fastest, most reliable, and cheapest ways to get a great career. In many cases, occupations in the skilled trades will end up paying you more than the average college graduate makes.
Our industry does very little to promote the fact that of all the skilled labor jobs, the top 5 skilled trades can be found in construction. They are HVAC technicians, plumbers, Electricians, Construction inspectors, and Construction Managers.
Less than half (49%) of Gen-Z have ever considered a skilled trade career, and far fewer (16%) say they’re very likely to consider a skilled trade career.
Some reports indicate that the competitive nature of Gen-Z means they are more interested in working independently. After all, they were raised by highly independent Gen-Xers, so today’s youths are used to doing things on their own.
Gen Z wants a good work-life balance and learning and development opportunities are the top priorities when choosing an employer. 45% of Gen Z feel burned out due to their work environment and 44% have left jobs due to workload pressure. This is probably why Gen Z feels working a production line in a modular or manufactured offsite factory is not for them.
Gen Z is the most important generation for offsite construction today. With Boomers retiring and leaving the offsite industry and Millennials and Gen X staring middle age in the face, Gen Z is the generation our industry needs to be actively recruiting today.
But we’re not!
Trade schools today offer a lot of skilled construction labor curriculums, but Gen Z doesn’t see that as an attractive option. I recently heard my 19-year-old niece say “that’s for guys that don’t qualify for real jobs.”
The two biggest modular housing associations, the Building Systems Council of the NAHB and the Modular Home Builders Association are just as lost as the rest of us as to how to make production line skilled labor trades attractive enough to get Gen Z to even apply for factory work.
Until the offsite construction industry begins to realize the Gen Z crowd isn’t going to work in a factory at the numbers we’re losing, look for talk of more automation and robotics being the savior of offsite.
It isn’t!
Gary Fleisher is the Editor in Chief of Modular Home Source and Offsite Builder.
Gary Fleisher, Editor in Chief of Offsite Construction Magazine
To learn more about the Offsite Construction Industry, sign up for your free monthly issue of Offsite Builder, the Construction Magazine for Builders and Developers
