Predicted trends in the labor workforce that affects construction:
- Lower birth rates of the baby-bust generation cause a reduction in one of six available new entrants to the work force as compared to the 1970s and 1980s.
- Women will make up almost two-thirds of the new labor force by 2000.
- Minorities will provide new entrants at nearly double the current rate and will account for more than 29% of the new entrants.
- Immigrants will represent a large share of the increase in the US population.
There is not a shortage of workers, but there is a multitude of insufficiencies which must be addressed by the industry if it is to be competitive through its workforce: low education levels, lack of needed skills, skilled people located outside of area of need, low wages, poor industry image, less mobile workforce, mismatch of skills with required tasks. (SD-77, p. 41)