There is building work year-round, and once a steel or wood frame is up and a roof installed overtop, there’s more work to be done inside to finish new construction projects, Morris said.
Construction is also a specialized industry that isn’t all about heavy lifting or balancing up high. Morris said someone who isn’t good at carpentry might be good at or enjoy being an electrician or plumber and vice versa, for example.
There’s also a difference between work in the commercial and industrial building industry and residential contractors, as well as a difference between new construction and building maintenance and repair, he said. When new construction activity is down, work could shift to a greater need for service and upkeep, he said.
“Once you are a skilled tradesperson, you’re going to have many opportunities to find employment,” he claims.
And if you ask Morris about layoffs in downtimes, he said that when construction activity slowed during recent years, most construction workers found jobs in other industries such as facilities management.
Now, due to an aging workforce, labor that left the industry, and growing demand for construction work, there are "tremendous labor shortages."
Also compounding the problem is traditional career pathways to enter the field have been cut, he said. For example, high school graduates are encouraged to pursue college degrees instead of trades and the slowdown in new home construction hurt the labor pool. Landscaping and housing-related construction jobs are often a starting place for workers that move on to help build manufacturing plants and multi-tenant retail establishments, for example, he said.
Interested job seekers of all skill levels can explore the options and apply at two upcoming job fairs where approximately 75 employers in the construction business will be hiring.
The first event is from 3 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 10, at Dayton Convention Center, located downtown at 22 E. Fifth St. Associated Builders and Contractors, Air Conditioning Contractors Association, the Home Builders Association of Dayton and OhioMeansJobs-Montgomery County are partnering to hold the job fair.
Then, a second construction industry job fair will be held from 2 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 2, at Xavier Cintas Center, which can be found at 1624 Herald Ave., in Cincinnati.
“Employers will pay for your training and you have a direct pathway to high sustainable wages for your career without accumulating debt,” Morris said about why construction is a good job opportunity.
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