Women Succeeding in Construction

Women succeeding in construction continue to face an uphill battle while trying to advance their careers in the construction industry, but they are making strides. Women are working together to overcome the gender barrier and are supporting one another. A recent article in Biz Women, one of the Business Journals, explained that the demand for construction workers, as well as executives and professionals to lead the construction industry, is growing at a much faster pace. Culture in the construction workplace had been keeping many women from stepping up into those roles in the past. Between 2016 and 2026, the need for construction workers is expected to increase by 12%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Many of those positions could be filled by women.

Looking at the Numbers

According to the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC), as of 2016 more than 10 million people were employed in the construction industry. Of that number, slightly less than 10% were women. Of the 939,000 women working in the construction industry, about 45% were employed in sales and office support positions. When the numbers are broken down more, about 31% worked in management and professional roles with 21% of them in construction, natural resources, and maintenance positions. Another 1.5% worked in service occupations while another 1.4% worked in production, material moving, and transportation.

Looking at the Salary

On a positive note, women’s wages in the construction industry are almost equal to those wages earned by men. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that women earn about 97 cents on the dollar compared to men’s wages. With the growing demand for construction workers, women are now finding it much easier to get employed in the construction industry. Classrooms are seeing more women training for different roles in construction. Many of these women are undertaking specialized training to learn how to operate various equipment used for construction projects. The NAWIC reports that some classrooms for construction training now have as many women as men enrolled to complete the programs.

Qualified Applicants Needed

The Associated General Contractors of America released a survey that revealed 75% of construction firms had planned to increase their payrolls in 2018 because they felt comfortable about the strong economic outlook, regulatory burdens, and decreasing tax rates. But many of those construction firms who participated in the surveys reported that felt it is going to be more challenging to recruit and hire qualified construction workers this year while 78% already have been suffering challenges trying to find qualified and well-trained workers. To prepare yourself for a role in the construction industry, sign up for training. Call Associated Training Services today at (800) 383-7364 to learn more about our construction programs.