Construction Recruitment: Invest in People & Culture for Hiring Success

Construction thrives when people work productively together to deliver the projects our communities need. Companies need to hire qualified workers for every position, from project managers to equipment operators. Strategies to improve construction recruitment — attracting and hiring construction workers — can help GCs and trade contractors fill their ranks to complete jobs efficiently while maintaining quality standards.

Companies need to develop practical strategies and strengthen their culture to find and hire talent. By fostering a collaborative and inclusive workplace, construction firms can distinguish themselves from competitors, appeal to prospective hires, and retain their productive workforce.

This article will discuss effective recruitment strategies, diverse ways to find applicants and the positive impact effective recruitment can have on company success.

8 Strategies for Recruiting Construction Talent

As older construction workers retire, replacing them with new talent is imperative for companies seeking to complete projects on time. With numerous job openings in construction, skilled workers have plenty of choices. Securing these sought-after professionals necessitates relationship building, much like other facets of success in the industry.

1. Build a strong culture.

A company’s reputation for a safe, collaborative and employee-focused work environment draws workers. People want to feel supported and valued by their workplace, and leaders who explicitly create a company ethos where people treat each other respectfully and foster growth will make their company a place where people want to work.

2. Communicate a strong purpose.

The company’s mission statement plays a role in attracting talent. Construction companies should communicate their commitments to sustainability, integrity, community involvement, safety, innovation or any other values that define their brand. Highlight completed projects to inspire potential hires with the possibility of working on projects they could be proud of. Potential hires who resonate with the company’s mission are more likely to become harmonious team members.

3. Create opportunities for growth.

Employers who invest in employee career growth are attractive to top construction talent. Career development programs give employees a sense of meaning and a path to management careers within the company. Retaining employees and upskilling them to fill needed roles is a cost-effective HR practice that also motivates new candidates to consider their future advancement with the company.

4. Maintain flexibility.

Leaders need to be flexible to let workers help shape their workplaces and complete the work in ways that suit team members’ preferences. Flexible schedules can be important for work-life balance, especially for employees with caregiving responsibilities.

5. Partner with educational institutions.

Partnering with trade schools, high schools, community colleges and universities to offer internships or coops, present in classes or at career events and offer advice on workforce training needs can pay off for construction companies. Schools can be a pipeline for workers just starting in the industry or students looking for job experience to help them determine a career path. Close relationships with faculty and administrators can allow construction professionals to help shape curricula to meet local workforce needs.

6. Boost mentorship and support systems.

Formal and informal mentorship programs can support employees just entering the industry as they grow into the job. Support systems inside the company can provide workers with the scaffolding to learn the ropes, helping companies cultivate a talent pipeline to take over as experienced employees leave the industry.

7. Focus on feedback.

Consistently asking for employee feedback brings the best ideas to the fore and allows leadership to hear the concerns of staff who do the work every day. Cultivating talent in workers from diverse backgrounds maximizes the use of the available workforce and when employees feel their input is appreciated, they contribute to continuous improvement and team-building.

8. Think beyond standard benefits.

Pay packages matter, though they aren’t the whole picture. Average construction wages rose more than 4% in 2024, so companies need to consider the prevailing wages in their area to be competitive for new hires.

Comprehensive benefits that include health insurance, retirement plans, paid time off, life and disability insurance and other perks make any offer more attractive. Companies can also offer paid training, growth opportunities and mentorship and make sure that operational workers get the same time off benefits as office staff. 

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Finding Construction Job Applicants

Exploring all avenues for finding management, administrative and skilled labor can help construction companies cast the broadest possible net to find new hires. Companies that make an effort to get the word out about their workplace can find talent for upcoming openings and cultivate interest in candidates who may be good hires in the future.

Write effective job postings.

Clearly defining a position in a job ad helps prospective employees decide if they might be a good fit. Listing job duties and necessary skills helps candidates assess whether their skills closely match the company’s needs. However, it can be helpful to encourage people to apply even if they don’t have all the qualifications listed, as a great candidate may just be missing a skill they could learn.

Another aspect of appealing job posts is the description of company culture. Helping candidates understand how the company values and supports workers can appeal to people looking for a pleasant and productive work experience.

Post listings on multiple channels.

Online job sites like Indeed, Monster, and Glassdoor are great places to post — but don’t ignore online construction industry job boards like ConstructionJobs, iHireConstruction and others. Social media sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Reddit offer platforms where people already gather, making it easy to share a listing with colleagues. Job listings that become part of the conversation extend their reach and spread the word on industry forums and social media.

Look beyond the degree.

Hiring graduates of construction management programs is a terrific way to get aspiring management talent. But today’s construction process requires employees adept at managing data and technology, so students in engineering, IT and even game design programs may jump at the chance to apply their technical skills to help build impressive structures in the real world. GCs also need financial management talent, so accounting and finance departments can be another source of necessary skills.

Use referrals and word of mouth.

Employee referrals can be a boon in hiring, as current workers are likely to bring in others who can become productive team members. Consider offering a bonus for successful referrals, but make sure the rules and rewards are transparent and fair.

Word-of-mouth promotes trust, so it is an excellent way to inform people about job openings. Spread the word among employees, friends, community groups and industry contacts to find candidates who are interested in the company and have a positive impression of it.

Consider working with unions.

Working with construction unions can make hiring more complex, but they offer highly skilled workers for important construction roles. Negotiating with unions takes time, but union workers are required for specific contracts and can fill roles on many types of projects.

Recruit far and wide.

While local and regional hiring is the norm in construction, candidates from across the country may be interested in relocating for a position that fits their interests. Expanding recruitment nationally for important positions can uncover skilled workers looking for their next career move.

Consider seasonal or flexible positions.

The demand for labor fluctuates due to weather, project needs or regional trends. Developing a talent pool of workers as short-term or seasonal hires can help fill positions during high-demand periods.

Many younger workers have embraced the gig economy and may be more interested in part-time or flexible work. Consider whether exceptional candidates who aren’t interested in traditional hours or seek flexibility can fill some roles. Finding talent among workers who don’t fit the mold can help companies fill labor needs in innovative structures.

Focus on cultural fit and soft skills.

When searching for new team members, remember that sometimes a good cultural fit can be just as valuable as technical skills — and an enthusiasm to learn from the get-go is an admirable skill for any new hire. An employee who possesses solid communication and problem-solving skills and exhibits enthusiasm can learn technical skills while working well on teams. Companies with the capacity to onboard and train candidates with high soft skills can benefit from considering a wider range of available hires.

The Impact of Recruitment on Construction Success

Building the right team for construction is fundamental to company success. Effective recruitment is urgent for many companies as commercial, heavy civil and residential projects continue to break ground. Construction starts are expected to continue growing, meaning that contractors need to have enough workers on the payroll to keep taking on new contracts. Here are some of the reasons strong recruiting strategies are necessary:

Addressing the Skills Gap

As experienced construction personnel retire and take their knowledge with them, replacing them with less experienced workers accentuates the absence of those skills on the job site. In addition, using new construction technology requires skills that not all construction workers have. Recruiting new employees eager to gain experience and learn new skills can help companies address the skills gap, but it requires a commitment to mentoring, upskilling and promoting workers.

Attracting workers with needed skills can be challenging, but companies can find people to fill open roles requiring education or experience by nurturing relationships with college and trade school programs and targeting specific skill sets. Contractors compete for these workers, so the company's values and reputation can be deciding factors in signing the best talent.

Enhancing Productivity

It may seem obvious that more work can be completed with more workers. However, being short on staff can impact productivity and efficiency when the workers who are present are unable to perform specific tasks because precursor work or inspections aren’t completed. Empty roles, especially those with in-demand skills such as reading architectural plans or using BIM, can create bottlenecks in the workflow, delaying and impeding the progress on the job. Filling key skilled roles improves efficiency for the whole team.

Helping Win New Business

In a competitive bidding process, every advantage counts. The experience of construction company team members is a strong selling point during the bidding process. Savvy general contractors highlight personnel’s relevant experience when answering a request for qualifications (RFQ) or responding to RFPs. 

As a company looks to expand into new project types or geographic areas, having staff with solid experience in the type or location of construction can help win bids. Strategic recruitment and hiring for key project team positions can boost a GCs chances of winning contracts.

Meeting Project Deadlines and Quality Standards

Delivering projects on time is integral to a company's reputation, and it’s hard to meet tight deadlines with too few workers to complete the work. Human resources perform the construction work, and companies can struggle to deliver projects on time with too few of those resources.

Quality can also suffer if positions are left open. Workers without the needed skills may be tasked with completing work they aren’t qualified to perform, leading to shoddy workmanship or errors. Skilled managers and team leads oversee quality on site, and with too few people to inspect work, the quality of the delivered project may be lower, decreasing owner satisfaction and damaging a contractor’s reputation.

Improving Retention with Effective Hiring

Onboarding and training new workers takes time and money. Hiring the wrong people leads to poor retention, and every worker who leaves requires replacement, which entails the associated costs of hiring. Carefully selecting employees with the right skills and attitude to fit with company projects and culture makes it more likely that they will stay on the payroll longer.

Bringing Fresh Perspectives and Innovation

Workers with construction experience bring new perspectives and ideas to a company, possibly improving efficiency and introducing new work methods. New hires who graduate from educational programs have been trained on the latest equipment and technology, bringing skills for the increasingly digitally orchestrated construction process. Younger “digital natives” can be more open to incorporating new technology into work processes, saving labor and improving project coordination.

Continuous Improvement in Construction Recruitment

Construction firms must refine their approaches to attract and retain good workers to thrive amid a labor shortage. While offering competitive compensation and benefits, fostering a positive work culture and promoting career development can help recruitment, companies should also evaluate how their branding reads to prospective employees.

In the fast-evolving construction industry, effective recruitment is a strategic advantage. By continuously polishing company messaging and recruitment channels, companies can secure the skilled workers needed to meet project demands, enhance productivity and maintain high-quality standards. Ultimately, a company culture that values people will be better able to hire and retain the workers needed to sustain success and expand in a competitive market.

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