How to Hire More Women into Construction Roles
In March, which marks Women’s History Month, NAHB’s workforce development team will shine a spotlight on women in the construction field and strategies for attracting and keeping them in the trades.
According to the NAHB, for contractors needing to fill a never-ending labor shortage, the solution may be obvious, though often overlooked: Turn to a huge untapped pool of talented women. After all, women make up about 47% of the U.S. labor force but only 11% of the construction industry, with the number in building trades estimated to be in the low single digits.
Although this answer may seem simple, hiring women into construction is anything but. Poor recruitment efforts and unfair stereotypes around what women can — or should — do on a jobsite continue to stand in the way of contractors developing capable crews and women finding rewarding work.
These trends are changing, says Brandon Bryant, president and owner of Red Tree Builders in Asheville, N.C., and former president of the North Carolina HBA. In his home building company, more than 40% of his employees are women. And that is because they have intentionally sought out female employees and have provided them with an environment where they can succeed.
To help other contractors do the same, Bryant discusses why women make exceptional construction industry employees and how companies can recruit and retain them for the long haul.
