Page 18 - SKILLS Workforce Development Guide 2021

For Job Seekers: Construction Outlook
POTENTIAL CAREER
OPPORTUNITIES ABOUND
AS TRADESPEOPLE RETIRE
BY ELAINE POFELDT
Murphy Brothers Contracting is always on the hunt for enthusiastic young people who want to pursue a
career in the construction industry. “We need people who can think on their feet,” says Michael Murphy, who oversees business development for the Mamaroneck-based homebuilder.
But it’s not always easy to find individuals with the right skills to work on a job site. To that end, Murphy Brothers partners with organizations such as
the Guidance Center of Westchester, a nonprofit that provides support to people facing poverty, homelessness, and
other challenges. The Guidance Center, located in Mount Vernon, provides
certification for people who want to pursue a construction or other trades career through its FutureWorks program.
Murphy Brothers is one of many local construction firms contending with a shortage of local talent. One reason is young people don’t realize how many potential career opportunities there are in the construction industry, he says. “They could work in high-rise buildings, run their own remodeling business, have a painting business, or be a subcontractor and do sheetrocking,” Murphy says.
Rapid development in the county’s major cities is exacerbating the challenge of filling jobs, says Tara Seeley, senior program officer at the Westchester Community Foundation (WCF). “If you took a tour, you would be
Left: Universal Builders Supply (UBS) crew members work at a building site in Long Island City.
astonished at the level of construction, especially multi-family housing,” she says. “This ramp-up has converged with fewer people going into training, and there is a bottleneck for employers.”
The New York State Department of Labor projects that jobs for construction trades workers will grow by 12.7% from 2016 to 2026. The construction industry jobs seeing the most growth are security and fire alarm system installers, with 23.6% growth projected in the state from 2016 to 2026; plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters (20.5% growth) and helpers in the construction trades (16.1% growth).
All of these careers pay middle-class wages. The mean annual wage for security and fire alarm system installers in the U.S. is $50,210, according to
the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. For plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters, the median pay is $55,160. Helpers in the construction trades earn median pay of $36,000 per year.
TRAINING THE TALENT EMPLOYERS NEED
To address the shortage, some organizations have invested in workforce development. The WCF,
for example, has provided support to Westhab, a comprehensive community development organization based in Yonkers that aims to break the cycle of poverty, with other partners in
16 SKILLS What’s Hot. What’s Next. What’s Needed.
© Berstein Associates Photographers