Fixing skills shortages in the construction industry

There is a significant skills shortage in the construction industry, but there are untapped ways to improve the situation, says PMI Global Director of Construction and Vice President APAC Ben Breen.

“Globally, our research shows there’s probably about 40 million Project Managers around the world… and we probably need another 20 to 30 [million] in the next 10 to 15 years just to keep up with the demand of the different projects that are going on. It’s real. It’s a big problem,” he says.

Ben thinks part of the issue is that “the construction industry has a little bit of a PR problem”.

“We need to be able to attract more people, we need to be able to talk about the wonderful things that we do and the impact that you can have on the world because it really does affect so many people’s lives”.

He says there are 1.37 million people in construction, but only 15% are female, and if you look at women in trades, it drops to about 4%, highlighting an untapped market.

Bringing more women into construction would benefit everybody,” he says.

He also believes a way to attract young people into construction could be by using the lens of technology to make it more interesting.

Upskilling the existing workforce is another important consideration. Ben has worked with the industry to create upskilling courses based on pain points and making the industry more efficient.

“On-the-job training is incredibly important, but I think you’ve got to get the right balance with formal education as well,” he explains.

According to Ben what makes a great Project Manager is their ability to deal with change.

“We just did a tour of the new Sydney Metro West Line. I was really impressed. Covid was smack bang in the middle of that,” he says.

During the project, they dealt with the impacts of “hot zones” where they couldn’t get materials delivered, niche-critical products had to come in from overseas and material and labour prices shot through the roof.

“It was great to hear how they dealt with that. It was tough; they had to be resourceful, they had to be determined. When you are prepared and trained for these kinds of things you’re very flexible and able to get things done”.

He also said technology is becoming a helpful tool that can be used for predictive analysis of resource loading and adjusting time programs so that you’re not overloading in the wrong places.

He describes the double-edged sword in the construction industry where it is growing at its fastest pace in history, but at the same time, there is a huge number of people retiring. He says that in the developed world around 42% of the construction workforce is expected to retire by 2032.

“Let’s bring in the right talent, let’s train them up, let’s make sure that they’re capable of delivering.”

“We have to make sure we’ve got the right people in the right roles. For people to take accountability.. I think it’s hugely important for people to know what their role and then be held accountable if they’re not performing the duties of that role.”

Discover how the construction industry can tackle its biggest talent challenges—from upskilling to gender equity—directly from PMI’s Ben Breen. 

Tune in to the full episode here and get inspired to build a better future.