The construction industry is ready to welcome some of the millions of people who have lost their jobs in the 2020 economic downturn.
Construction has suffered through a chronic labor shortage in recent years. It’s been so bad that companies have had to turn down jobs because they didn’t have enough people to take on a project.
That means there are plenty of job opportunities. In particular for those with construction experience in metro Atlanta, including P2K.
Construction has fared better than some other industries during the crisis. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp declared construction an essential business, with many companies like P2K at work on critical infrastructure projects.
Additionally to being essential, construction is an interesting field. P2K through its work in Aviation is a key contributor to the future of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. It does rapid concrete repairs of vital runways and taxiways as well as other projects, part of the airport’s maintenance or capital improvement projects.
P2K also does a lot of important highways and road work. One of the many advantages of concrete roadways is its durability and low maintenance. The service life of a concrete road is 40+ years and during this time they don’ need frequent repair or patching. Yet when the time approaches its useful life it is necessary to do concrete repairs, and P2K is an expert in this. P2K recently finished emergency concrete repairs on a damaged stretch of I-95 in South Carolina and also replaced rutted asphalt with concrete at a heavily traveled intersection in Tifton in South Georgia.
A construction career is a great opportunity for people who are looking for a good job. Construction jobs pay well, include benefits and provide opportunities for advancement. For example, a person that started as a laborer went on to be a concrete finisher and is now a superintendent. A person that start as a field engineer can go on to do estimating, or become a project manager.
Safety is an issue any job applicant must consider, especially during the Covid-19 crisis. Taking safety as a priority, P2K has increased its efforts, going above and beyond social distancing and hand cleaning, implementing other measures such as protective gear and heightened sanitation measures, per CDC guidelines.
Construction will not be spared from the economic damage caused by the virus. It is expected that construction will slow down, as new projects are being halted or cancelled. New hotels, restaurants, and other entertainment-related developments will stop.
The construction industry is providing job and career opportunities for everyone interested. The number of women-owned companies has grown by 64%. Industry-wide, women comprised 7.5% of all construction managers in 2018. Out of the top 100 contracting companies, 44% have women in executive roles and 16% have females in C-level positions, says “The State of the Industry in 2020,” by BigRentz.
The U.S. economy is almost in recession. Close to 40 million people unemployed with a reported economic contraction in the first quarter, and almost certainly in the second quarter.
The construction sector is not the answer to the wave of unemployment. And despite the chronic labor shortage in construction, companies are getting selective. Candidates with significant construction experience will be the most attractive hires for P2K and for other companies.
But as people ponder their futures during this unprecedented time, we hope more of them will consider construction as a career.
