The labor shortage is something we talk about a lot, and for good reason—it's one of the biggest challenges we face as an industry. While this can spark a bit of topic fatigue, we must keep discussing construction's workforce crisis because if we don't, we risk missing opportunities to solve it.
On this latest episode of Digital Builder, Alison Tripp, National Talent Acquisition Leader at DPR Construction, shares insights on today's labor market and how employers can stay competitive. Specifically, we discuss best practices for attracting top talent and how talent acquisition (TA) teams and hiring managers can work together more effectively.
We talk about:
Let's dive in.
We start off the episode by diving into the ongoing labor shortage and its root causes: why is it so hard to recruit and retain talent in the construction industry?
Alison admits that this is one of the questions keeping her up at night and says the labor shortage isn't caused by a single issue. Rather, it's a combination of factors, including a lack of skilled labor and shifting career preferences among younger generations.
She cites an article from Construction Dive, which reports that the industry needs to attract close to 440,000 net new workers in 2025.
"That, coupled with an aging workforce and a shortage of folks coming into the trades, all contribute to the problem.”
Another issue is the industry's struggle to shed outdated perceptions about construction.
"There's a lack of awareness about all the different opportunities and career paths within construction. Our messaging is outdated and there are perceptions around construction we need to tackle," she adds.
Alison also points to the need to preserve institutional knowledge.
"We have to make sure we're not losing industry knowledge of our more seasoned professionals and those who are getting closer to retirement. We need to capture that knowledge and train younger talent. And we've got to meet this younger generation where they are right now if we're going to retain them."
Many enterprises tackle recruitment in a transactional manner, in which hiring managers work with talent acquisition specialists to fill roles as quickly as possible. Hiring managers provide the job description and requirements to the TA team members, who then source candidates, conduct initial screenings, and pass along potential hires.
While this type of setup can work, Alison believes in expanding the strategic value of recruitment.
"For a long time, recruiters were order takers. You're just billing positions. There's an administrative perception about recruiters and what they're doing. When I came into this role at DPR, I wanted to build a team that was seen as a partner to the business instead of simply an order taker."
"For example, if we're building a lot of data centers, the recruiting team must be aware of that talent pipeline to fill those needs."
According to Alison, accomplishing that requires TA teams to be attached to the business and to deeply understand the specific skills, challenges, and long-term hiring needs within different construction sectors.
"You need to understand what it takes to be a really good project manager on a data center or on a healthcare project. That requires a lot of questions. It's communicating, collaborating with your hiring teams, and keeping them informed of the process."
On the other side of the equation are the candidates. Strong recruitment teams know that to get top talent, they must build relationships and create a positive experience for every applicant.
Speak the language of the role
According to Alison, recruiters screening talent must have a deep understanding of the roles they're hiring for to meaningfully engage with candidates.
"I see to it that my teams respect how hard construction is and what folks are doing on a job site. I encourage them to spend time with these teams so that they can be authentic in what they're speaking to."
DPR also holds recruiter boot camps to help TA teams build industry knowledge and credibility.
"We bring folks from various teams—such as VDC, pre-con, and prefab—and they do a boot camp with our team to understand what they do. They'll show videos or have little cheat sheets."
These efforts are critical because the best candidates can immediately tell when a recruiter doesn't understand the job, and that lack of credibility can hurt the company's reputation.
Streamline processes with technology
Construction firms with high-volume hiring needs risk creating a frustrating candidate experience if their processes are disorganized or overly complex.
Alison recommends exploring digital tools to streamline hiring processes.
"Some of that requires technology, whether that's a candidate relationship management tool or using AI to keep your candidates warm," she says.
"It's making sure that the systems you're using can at least let people know, 'Hey, we got your application' or 'This role might be better for you.'"
Stay on top of Glassdoor reviews
Glassdoor has become a powerful tool for employer branding, and candidates are increasingly checking the website to gauge company culture and employee satisfaction. That's why monitoring reviews and engaging with feedback is crucial. At DPR, Alison says her team takes Glassdoor feedback seriously and uses it as an opportunity to improve.
"We respond to every review, good or bad. We address it, take it as learning for us, and share it with teams."
An inclusive careers page
DPR also enhanced its career page by making it more accessible and representative of its diverse workforce.
"Your career page often is the first introduction candidates have. So, it was essential that our career page is also bilingual and that our craft and tradespeople could see opportunities for themselves."
In line with that, DPR's career page clearly outlines the benefits of working at the company, so potential hires can understand what sets DPR apart and how it supports employees.
Have a solid compensation and benefits package
Firms will struggle to compete for talent without a great compensation package. That's why DPR continuously evaluates its offerings to meet employee needs.
"We had to dig deep on that and ensure our benefits and compensation are strong. Family benefits, including parental leave and fertility, are also important."
Promote balance and flexibility
While remote work is increasingly common in many industries, certain jobs in construction simply cannot be done offsite. As Alison puts it, "You can't build a building from home."
You can, however, "use technology to streamline processes to cut down on hours."
Beyond that, she says that fostering a culture of flexibility and trust is key.
"We've built a culture of trust, and we're big on shared leadership. Our teams will take care of each other, and they'll figure out ways to work with each other. If someone needs to do drop-off, they can do the afternoon meeting. And if someone prefers to be an early morning person, they have that flexibility."
Focus on authenticity
Finally, Alison emphasizes the importance of genuine employer branding.
"The biggest piece with your brand is it has to be authentic. Whatever you're selling in the market, make sure it matches what your new hires experience when they come in."
You've acquired the talent; now it's time to ensure they stay engaged with the company.
In the past, construction workers accepted gaps between projects, expecting to return once new work was awarded. But that dynamic has changed. Workers now have more opportunities elsewhere, making retention critical.
This is especially true for DPR, which does self-performed work. According to Alison, the DPR’s recruitment and talent teams navigate this by leveraging technology and workforce forecasting to improve job placement and retention.
"We've shifted from managing things in an Excel spreadsheet that wasn't connected to the real needs or timing of projects. We're now using different technologies and forecasting models. We look at where the needs are, and we match them up to the people," she explains.
Beyond that, Alison's team proactively engages in workforce planning, so employees have clear career paths within the company.
"We have a talent team focused on succession planning and figuring out if we have enough people for our projects. And I'm in partnership with them, so they're helping me identify gaps."
"We also ask our employees. If someone indicates that they want to relocate long term or have specific certifications, we consider that when planning future assignments."
Digital Builder is hosted by me, Eric Thomas. Remember, new episodes of Digital Builder go live every week. Listen to the Digital Builder Podcast on:
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