Diversity on Worksites is an Ongoing Commitment
Date Posted: June 4, 2019
Posted In: Discussion, Workforce,
From Portland Business Journal: As the ongoing economic recovery has led to business growth and infrastructure investments, the construction sector has boomed, making it a high-growth industry in the Portland Metro Area. However, the career opportunities generated by this growth are not equitably accessible to everyone in the community. Construction has historically been a male-dominated and racially homogenous industry, and this continues to be the case. At the same time, construction businesses report a severe shortage in skilled talent — a claim that is supported by labor market data.
To help better understand the major barriers to increasing diversity in the trades, Worksystems, the local Workforce Investment Board that serves Multnomah and Washington counties, performed an in-depth yearlong Regional Construction Workforce Market Study, commissioned by Metro and the City of Portland.
The research study included collecting and analyzing existing available construction workforce supply data, forecasting the local five-year workforce demand, conducting extensive interviews with public agencies, contractors, apprenticeship programs, and pre-apprenticeship programs and holding focus groups with diverse construction workers and foremen in the region.
The research sought to uncover the major barriers to achieving equity and increasing diversity in the construction workforce for the Portland metro area. A set of recommendations for success are outlined and described in the report. The study’s findings fall into three overarching recommendation areas: Increase recruitment of women and people of color, primarily through improving word of mouth success and better marketing of these careers; Increase retention of existing diverse workers by creating more robust and ongoing support and better addressing the worksite culture; and develop more robust equity policies and practices that lead to better outcomes on public capital projects and for the industry as a whole.
It will take significant commitment to truly increase the numbers of women and people of color in the trades. But, without them, the industry will be challenged to meet its workforce needs. Retirements and a lack of trades in the public school system have all contributed to a projected severe shortage of skilled labor in the pipeline.
As data have shown, however, targeted and intentional policy efforts are needed to bring tangible results. For example, the city of Portland applied Community Benefit Agreements on two major capital projects in the region which resulted in historic outcomes.