Seeking Concrete Solutions To Labor Shortage In Construction

The construction industry is booming. But as it oversees the building explosion across the U.S., the sector is also seeking solutions to its most vexing challenges. Among them are the industry's labor shortage and the world's growing need for natural-disaster-resistant materials. In the current labor market, cited by many as among the tightest in a half-century, few fields have had a skilled and semi-skilled employee shortage like the building sector. The past decade has served up a double whammy.  During the 2008-09 Great Recession, many skilled workers left the field for other occupations. Then the industry suffered a falloff in new hires when it rebounded in the downturn's wake.