It’s a strange time to be in construction. Construction needs are increasing in 2022 as the economy rebounds from the COVID-19 pandemic, especially as we continue through the summer. But thanks to The Great Resignation, there are fewer skilled construction workers out there than ever before. This makes for a difficult hiring market for construction employers, and it’s unlikely to improve any time soon.
Staffing needs vary across different types and sizes of construction companies. But one thing remains the same for all: There is a limited number of available and qualified tradespeople for your construction needs, so you need to be strategic about finding and hiring them.
If you’ve got projects lined up that need construction staff to get the work done, or you’re about to bid on a big job and know you’ll need additional staff to augment your core team, what are you to do? You might not have the time or resources to add to your workforce yourself. Luckily, there are options.
Let’s take a look at what your construction company can do to attract the skilled workers you need. Then, we’ll discuss how a construction staffing agency like Opti Staffing can help find the qualified professionals you need to get the job done right.
Use These Tips to Attract Skilled Construction Workers
What can you do on your own to attract skilled construction workers? Quite a lot, actually. Here are a few key tips from construction job recruiters that can help you source the candidates you need:
Provide Transparent Job Descriptions
When was the last time you thought about the job descriptions you’re putting out there to the world? Make no mistake; these are usually the very first interaction a candidate has with your company, so it’s essential to make a good first impression. Make sure your job descriptions set minimum requirements for what you’re looking for, and make the descriptions clear and transparent.
Make sure your job descriptions include information like:
- Whether the position is permanent or temporary
- The skills, experience, and education you’re looking for out of candidates
- Specific knowledge, certifications, or backgrounds that you’re looking for
Write poor job descriptions, and you’re likely to attract poor candidates. But when you craft concise, transparent descriptions that make it crystal clear what you’re looking for and what the candidate will receive in return, you’ll attract the people you really want.
Offer Competitive Compensation
Why would a candidate choose to work for your company if they can be paid more elsewhere, or receive better benefits? Your construction company needs to offer competitive compensation and a solid benefits package if you expect to recruit the top-tier candidates you hope to access. Candidates, especially today, demand to be compensated fairly for the work that they do, and they’re looking for a place to grow and develop their careers, too.
When putting together your benefits package, consider offering medical and retirement benefits, overtime, vacation days and PTO, and even signing bonuses and other perks. You might also consider implementing a flexible schedule as another means of attracting candidates – flexible start and end times, or a hybrid schedule in which employees work some days on-site and others off, are very attractive to today’s candidates.
Create an Employee Referral Program
Do you have an employee referral program in place? If not, it’s time to implement one. This is another great way to attract top-level construction talent to your firm. Referrals are always an effective recruitment strategy – giving your construction employees incentives for bringing on other professionals they know is a compelling perk.
Create a structured program at your company that provides bonuses to current employees who recommend someone. Most referral programs work like this: if the referred employee stays with the company for a certain period of time (a month, three months, etc.) the existing employee is paid a bonus.
Employee referral programs have been proven to have many benefits for companies, including a lower turnover rate, reduction of recruiting costs, and faster time to hire. It’s a win-win – you’ll gain these benefits while attracting more qualified talent at the same time.
Create a Positive Work Environment
In today’s job market, candidates care more than ever before about the environment they’re working in and whether it’s a healthy, safe, inclusive, and respectful one. Be open and transparent about your company’s diversity and inclusion efforts, as well as your on-site safety protocols. A strong safety culture is essential in the construction industry and is both a great recruitment strategy and a powerful retention tool.
Another part of building a positive work environment is making sure employees have access to training programs so that they can learn more and grow their careers. Whether these training programs are internal or you outsource to a third-party source, you need to provide resources for employees to grow and develop. If a candidate feels they’re not going to advance their career when they join your team, what reason do they have to sign on the dotted line?
Work with a Construction Recruitment Agency
Another way to attract skilled construction workers? Take advantage of the construction recruiting services provided by a construction recruitment agency like Opti Staffing. Some companies make the mistake of thinking that hiring a staffing firm ends up costing more in fees than it would to simply hire themselves – but this isn’t true. By outsourcing your hiring and staffing needs, you’re saving time and money. Plus, you’re getting better candidates when you let the experts take care of things for you.
How Can Construction Staffing Agencies Help Your Company?
If you’ve never used a staffing partner to help solve your hiring challenges before, you might not be aware of the myriad benefits this kind of service can provide. A construction staffing agency can help your construction company with its hiring needs by:
Hiring Construction Workers Quickly
Think about the time that goes into the traditional recruitment and hiring process. Reviewing stacks of resumes, cross-checking references, scheduling interviews… the list goes on. When you outsource the hiring process to the experts, you’re not just getting an expert in the world of construction hiring. You’re streamlining and speeding up the entire hiring process.
You’ll gain access to qualified candidates fast – that helps you remain agile as you accept construction projects because you don’t have to worry about being short-staffed the next time a job comes around. You can also plan ahead effectively knowing you’ll be able to gain access to the staff you need for whatever projects come up in the future. Plus, you have a reliable partner on hand to fill gaps when you need to replace a worker on short notice, whether it’s because of illness, injury, or vacation.
Access to an Established Pool of Skilled Construction Workers
A staffing agency makes a point to build a robust, established pool of skilled workers to provide to their clients. That means when you partner with a staffing firm, you’re gaining access to a thoroughly vetted, ready-to-work pool of candidates to choose from. An experienced recruiter will be able to place skilled workers with your company not only according to their experience and specializations, but also their soft skills and personality. You’ll get the right person for the job both in skill set and cultural fit.
Help Building a Permanent Workforce
If your construction company is looking to build a permanent workforce, partnering with a staffing agency is a great way to do it. Whether you’ve already assembled a temporary workforce and are interested in converting those employees to permanent team members, or you’re starting from scratch and need help finding qualified candidates to hire on full-time, your recruitment expert can help. You have access to a vetted pool of great candidates to choose from no matter where you’re starting in the process.
Save Money & Resources
If you don’t have a dedicated HR or hiring team within your organization, or if they’re already stretched to the max, you probably just don’t have the resources, time, and money to devote to hiring the way you might like to. That’s okay – a construction staffing agency can help save you money and resources by taking care of hiring for you. Outsourcing your hiring to construction recruitment specialists means you’re leveraging their industry-specific expertise to hire effectively, ultimately reducing the costs you would otherwise spend on going at it yourself.
Find Top Talent with a Construction Job Recruiter Today
Are you looking for top-tier construction candidates in your area? Struggling to attract and hire the right people that you need for your construction projects? It’s time to turn to Opti Staffing for help. Our construction job recruiters in Alaska, Oregon, and Washington State can provide you with the best skilled and generalized tradespeople to get the job done, every time.
When it’s time to find top construction talent, turn to the industry experts at Opti Staffing. Contact our construction staffing agency today to learn more about what we can offer your company.