Learning from Other Sectors to Solve Transportation Construction Workforce Shortages

In California, there are 1,536 bridges and over 14,220 miles of highway in poor condition, but improvements to critical transportation infrastructure are impossible without the workforce to complete them.

The nation is facing a critical shortage of construction workers, and that shortage becomes increasingly apparent as more funding become available through the Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). New Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) research, Addressing Transportation Construction Workforce Needs Through Innovative Policies and Practices, explores insights from methods to reduce labor shortages in the agricultural, technology, and healthcare economic sectors and how they can be applied to transportation construction.

The findings in this project are from a literature review of current sources and informal interviews with stakeholders of the three economic sectors of interest (agriculture, tech, and healthcare). The major finding is that there simply are not enough workers. The research team investigated causes and solutions of labor shortages in each of the economic sectors, with a particular focus on the impact of changes in policies and processes to understand their potential for transportation.

Looking to comparative economic sectors that are facing or have faced similar labor shortages, this study found potential solutions that address issues related to three main categories: (1) raising awareness of an increased demand for particular skills and positions, (2) recruiting workers with the proper skills, and (3) retaining quality workers so that positions remain filled. 

The solutions most applicable to highway construction come from healthcare. Major recommendations include:

• Highway construction skills can be taught at trade schools and training programs led by experienced workers.

• Subsidized incentives for instructors for trade schools and training programs can be implemented so that an instructor shortage does not develop as it has in healthcare. 

• Incentive programs for construction workers themselves could also help address labor shortages. 

“Each industry has unique challenges and constraints. Healthcare is primarily focused on increasing recruitment because that would also help them solve their retention issues. Agriculture is focused on retention and recruitment since they cannot find a way to make farmwork attractive to the public, and their incumbent workers are starting to retire. Technology is a large and diverse economic sector and has a broad set of issues, but because it requires the least manual labor amongst the three, many of the solutions are not as applicable to highway construction,” explain the study’s authors.

Many construction firms are already implementing solutions, such as raising pay rates (86%), providing incentives and bonuses (45%), and enhancing benefits packages (24%). Additional strategies may include offering reduced-cost training programs in exchange for a commitment to work in areas with shortages or at specific companies. The transportation construction workforce shortage has become an even more acute problem in recent years because of pandemic-generated labor disruptions and the need for workers to implement projects funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). The IIJA will invest $4.9 billion in the state for highway-related infrastructure projects, but these projects cannot happen without a capable, committed workforce.

ABOUT THE MINETA TRANSPORTATION INSTITUTE

At the Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) at San Jose State University (SJSU) our mission is to increase mobility for all by improving the safety, efficiency, accessibility, and convenience of our nations’ transportation system. Through research, education, workforce development and technology transfer, we help create a connected world. Founded in 1991, MTI is a university transportation center funded by the US Department of Transportation, the California Department of Transportation, and public and private grants, including those made available by the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 (SB1). MTI is affiliated with SJSU’s Lucas College and Graduate School of Business.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Thomas O'Brien is the Associate Dean of the College of Professional and Continuing Education at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) and the Deputy Director of Long Beach Programs for the METRANS Transportation Consortium, a partnership of CSULB and the University of Southern California. He also serves as the Director of the FHWA Southwest Transportation Workforce Center. Ben Olson is the GIS and Data Manager at the Center for International Trade and Transportation at California State University, Long Beach. Devin Martinez-Flores is a Research Associate for the Center for International Trade and Transportation (CITT) at California State University, Long Beach.

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