Improve productivity and streamline how your company shares knowledge at scale.

The effects of the labor shortage seem to be everywhere — from help wanted signs popping up in store windows to empty shelves and service delays. But few industries have been harder hit than construction. While the COVID-19 pandemic changed the construction industry and certainly worsened the gap, it’s far from the main culprit. 

Top leaders in the construction industry identify three main pain points due to the labor shortage. We’ve outlined not just these challenges, but the solutions that have helped our customers reduce the impact of the job shortage and keep projects on time and on budget, with the resources they have.

#1: An aging and retiring workforce.

In 2020, The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the average age of the construction workforce rose to nearly 43 years-old. As some of the most experienced workers begin to retire, a lot of know-how could leave the industry with them. 

What can you do? Consider how you share information about a project with your entire team — from the most experienced worker to those just starting their career. Having a platform, such as Inertia’s Intelligent Construction Drawings, is the easiest way to connect your project with your teams. It gives users at all levels access to all critical data, so your workers can see what’s been done and what is still left to do, all in one place.

#2: Fewer skilled workers available.

According to the Associated Builders and Contractors, filling the current labor shortage may take one million more workers. It’s going to take a while to hire and train that many positions, and the clock is ticking on today’s project deadlines. Now is the time to enable your current workforce to be even more productive.

One way to increase productivity is to streamline decision making. Inertia’s Location-Based Visualizations allow your workforce to more quickly locate and understand project status with intuitive color coding. These visualizations have a measurable impact in reducing human error and improving productivity. In fact, Inertia’s automations and workflows are helping senior project managers handle more projects than ever and mitigate labor shortages — saving companies time and money.

#3: Inefficiencies within the project.

Misallocation, downtime, overages, costly rework and disconnects across teams and locations impact the productivity of your teams. It’s estimated that $178 billion is wasted annually on construction overages and rework. Seventy percent, or $124.6 billion, of that loss could be completely avoidable. 

The key is to streamline workflows across project teams. Design and owner teams, as well as general and specialty contractors, need to work together in order to succeed, yet each needs insights from their own vantage points. 

That’s not a problem with Inertia Intelligent Construction Drawings. Everything is integrated within Procore to create a much more cohesive, data-rich experience — connecting RFIs, Punchlist, Inspections, documents and more all within 2D drawings that can be accessed, assessed and shared across jobsite teams anywhere, on any device. With access to the information your team needs, when and where they need it, you can empower your team to accomplish more in less time.

What other solutions have been helpful for you in solving the challenges associated with the construction labor shortage? Let us know on LinkedIn. And, if you haven’t already, be sure to schedule a demo to see our location-driven construction management software can help you increase efficiency, centralize information and get your projects done on-time and within budget.