There's no way around it; the construction industry NEEDS more workers. Earlier this year, Associated Builders and Contractors determined the industry will need to hire 650,000 more workers than the typical place of hiring to meet the demand for labor in 2022. 

The United States veteran population offers a prime candidate pool from which to hire from to fill these employment gaps. There are around 19 million veterans in the U.S., with an estimated 200,000 Americans transitioning from the military each year. Some of Skanska's leaders are veterans, so the company is familiar with the professional skills ingrained through military service and has experienced firsthand how those skills transfer to the construction industry quite easily.

As companies large and small grapple with how to address the workforce shortage, here are three of the many benefits veterans offer the industry and open construction jobs:

ADAPTABILITY
An adaptable nature is vital in an industry as variable as construction. It is not simply that veterans are used to picking up and moving to different work locations. A central adaptability allows veterans to quickly and easily comprehend a variety of circumstances. Former service members are fast learners and adept multi-taskers, tackling new assignments with poise and determination.

Veterans’ adaptability skills also come extremely in handy when facing crucial situations calling for flexibility. Sometimes, projects do not move forward as planned. Former service members will have a self-awareness about them to regroup and pivot in a new direction, a skill needed for field-level decisions to figure out a new path forward.

LEADERSHIP
Strong leadership is critically important to construction crews, but not every applicant comes to the table with that experience, and even fewer are able to implement it well. The leadership experience provided through military service enables veterans to effectively manage new and stressful situations in the construction industry.

Former service members are uniquely equipped to make decisions under pressure, safely and successfully instruct their crew through even the most demanding days. That expert demonstration of leadership cultivates a deeper sense of trust between manager and crew, advancing a stronger bond across project teams.

DISCIPLINE
Discipline is an incredibly valuable quality within the construction industry. When a manager brings on a veteran, they can essentially guarantee their employee will not only show up, but arrive on time and ready to work.

Veterans are process-oriented and recognize the importance of following the proper steps of an operation and project --- a very important part of operating on an active (and often dangerous) construction site. Veterans have also honed their attention to detail, a key factor that keeps construction projects on track and helps prevent accidents on the job. Jobsites managed by veterans also tend to be very clean and carefully looked after.

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While technical skills can easily be taught, the adaptability, leadership, and discipline developed through military service are much more difficult to come by. Try engaging with service members prior to their transition out of the military and back into civilian life. As our industry faces a drastic shortage of workers, there are ways our businesses can reach this incredible population of potential employees, and concentrated engagement is key.