National Women in Construction Week is March 5-11

Master Builders Association of Pierce County is happy to celebrate National Women in Construction Week. This week we are highlighting some of the women in our association, talking about workforce solutions and announcing an all-women event coming in May.

Here are just a few reasons why celebrating National Women in Construction Week is important to the industry and our community.

What is the percentage of women working in the industry?

According to the Department of Labor, in 2022, women held 50.4% of all the jobs in the United States. Experts also expect this trend to continue upward and accelerate while the number of men in the workforce continues to decline.

Although women make up over 50% of the total workforce, only 10.9% of construction or skilled trades workers are women.

Workforce Solutions

There is a need for more skilled trades workers all across the United States. According to the Home Builders Institute, from 2022-2024, there needs to be 2.2 million net hires to keep up with demand.

Getting more women into the trades could be an answer to the workforce shortage.

How do we encourage women into the trades?

Women learn from a young age, what careers are available to them. It is important to use inclusive imagery and language when discussing futures with all children. For example, studies have shown that kids as young as four years old notice gender roles and begin acting on behavior they think revolves around that determined role. Something as easy as showing books that have both men and women in construction jobs, providing educational activities and toys like Legos, coloring pages and building birdhouses to all children in the home and at school.

As an employer, making sure your job applications and job duties do not specify any perceived gender. If your job roles keep general language including using the phrases like “the applicant”, “the employee “or using the job title to explain the necessary traits needed to succeed in the role, it is more inviting for someone applying.

Also, ensure proper fitting PPE for all people on your jobsite is key. Most PPE come in standard sizes and could be ill fitted to your employees no matter the gender. Guaranteeing proper safety and practices will assist the comfort of any applicant to a role. All of these practices above can assist in easing some hesitation or concern when applying or looking at the skilled trades as a career.

Master Builders Promise

The Master Builders Association of Pierce County celebrates National Women in Construction Week. Master Builders is dedicated to educating, informing and advocating for the home building industry and their needs. As a resource to the community in Pierce County, Master Builders promise to continue efforts in workforce development to be a part of the solution in closing the labor shortage gap.

Just last October, Master Builders donated 20 copies of the House that She Built book to local families, schools and care centers across the county.

Master Builders also have partnerships with local trade schools, skills centers and high schools to show all students the careers available to them in construction.

If you have a passion for assisting in building the next workforce and would love to sit on the Workforce Development Committee, please contact Advocacy Associate Alex Harrington at aharrington@masterbuidlerspierce.com.