Technology Adoption is the Most Efficient Resolution to the Labour Shortages in Construction

I was recently thinking about the labour shortage in the skilled trades industry. (I mean, I’ve been thinking about it for a while, but I was thinking about it recently, too.)The effects of the shortage of workers are rippling through the skilled trades industry.

Older, more experienced workers are retiring, and younger, more technologically savvy workers are coming in to replace them. That’s going to reshape an industry that has, traditionally, been resilient to technological innovation.

Millennials are drawn to jobs that allow them to use their inherent comfort, familiarity and adeptness with technology. This is the generation that grew up during the age of the Internet explosion and were still young adults when the iPhone debuted in 2007. Millennials largely grew up as digital natives; they’re not only adept at using technology, they also find comfort in it, and are attracted to companies that utilize it fully. Therein lies one solution for attracting the Millennial to the workforce and skilled trades careers: investment in technology. Technology is going to be key in recruiting young skilled workers. Advances in technology are going to help employers provide workplaces where Millennials want to work – places that provide flexible hours but steady jobs.

Technology is also advancing in terms of automation. As a company’s technological investment increases, they will find that automated processes reduce the amount they need each employee on location and on task. That makes each employee you have more productive, and it means less energy and money spent on scheduling and overhead. There isn’t a job in the skilled trades industry – front line or office work – that isn’t going to be dramatically affected by the onset of automation in the next 5-10 years (or sooner!).

Online training and recruiting are going to be instrumental in keeping employees’ training up to date and making sure employers are getting the right match for your positions. Obviously, just about every organization has been accepting resumes by email, but you can also set up online interviewing, meetings with prospective employees (and customers, and clients, and suppliers, and...), and skills testing. The chance to conduct these through reviews online can save a business considerable time and effort.

In addition to online training and recruiting, there’s also increased use of on-demand recruiting services. Companies are completely transforming their hiring processes with the ability to hire short-term employees on short notice, pre-vetted through outside agencies with apps or online services. Skilled workers who are available when they’re needed increase the efficiency and scalability of skilled trades companies, allowing them to expand quickly to handle more challenging projects, and then contract down to a leaner size afterwards. Such on-demand recruits are also an excellent way to feel out potential new employees, giving both the employer and employee a chance to experience each other before committing – both sides get to try before they buy.

Alongside all of these, of course, there’s the dozens of other changes technology is going to make. Improved performance, better capabilities, for just about every facet of industry. It’s elements like these that I try to keep in mind as I’m working on SnapSuite. It’s not just a matter of making a system that works for right now; in this industry, you’re always trying to stay at least one step ahead, and with SnapSuite, we’re trying to keep our eyes five, seven, or ten years down the line.

Change, as they say, is the only constant, and the skilled trades industry is no exception.

SnapSuite is a Toronto based software company that helps businesses in the construction and skilled trade industries increase their operational efficiency.