How G&G Is Navigating The Construction Industry’s Labor Shortage
California’s Booming Construction Industry: A Double-Edged Sword
With an increasing market demand created by swells of incoming residents, California’s construction industry has grown at a hot pace throughout 2021. As a result, both residential and commercial contracting companies have been busier than ever, with projects lining up back to back. However, this boom in building has not come without its own set of challenges. According to a survey by the National Association of Home Builders, contractors’ top concern is labor. In fact, 78% of construction companies are having difficulty hiring construction workers. The companies surveyed don’t expect the shortage to be resolved any time soon: 45% reported that they anticipate continuing difficulty in hiring craft and salaried workers.
At G&G Builders, we are committed to working on projects that benefit our communities. Whether working on a Sprung Structure that helps combat the homelessness crisis or a playground that brings unity to the neighborhood, we need a skilled and dedicated team to create top-quality craftsmanship. This article explores three ways G&G Builders is mitigating the construction industry’s labor shortage.
Prefabrication: Efficient Building Solutions
As Sprung Structure’s No. 1 installer in Northern California, we have the privilege of working on prefabricated building solutions. One of the most significant advantages of prefabrication is rapid construction. In many instances, prefabrication takes less than half the time when compared to traditional construction. This is due to better upfront planning, elimination of on-site weather factors, subcontractor scheduling delays and quicker fabrication as multiple pieces can be constructed simultaneously. With these efficiencies in place, a small team can complete significant amounts of work. With prefabrication, G&G Builders can keep a small group of dedicated and skilled individuals.
Optimizing Construction Management Software
At G&G Builders, we use construction management software to effectively communicate with our team. With platforms like Bluebeam, project managers can collaborate on and edit documents and drawings in real-time. If a challenge arises, our crew can easily communicate with the rest of the team by taking photos of the issue and highlighting it on a plan sheet. By speeding up communication and increasing productivity, a smaller team of workers can complete the same amount of work in the same amount of time. This minimizes the need to continually hire more individuals as we take on more projects.
A Company Culture that Celebrates Everyone Involved
As a small business, each of our employees plays a pivotal role in every job - our team makes us who we are. We expect our crews to be professional, respectful, and get the job done, but we’re also adamant about giving them breaks, high-quality tools and trucks, and the freedom to have fun and be themselves. We never want our employees to feel micromanaged and burnt out by small, unimportant details. We believe that if we cultivate a positive workplace culture, our team will take genuine pride in their work and produce great results - and they do.
By compensating our employees well, supporting their professional development, and establishing a strong camaraderie, G&G Builders attracts new hires while simultaneously retaining long-term employees. Producing high-quality craftsmanship alongside friends who’ve become family makes our work all the more meaningful.
Contact us if you’re looking for a dedicated team to carry out your next project. Whether it’s new concrete or a complete buildout, you can count on us to take your building to the next level.