It’s an exciting time to be involved in the construction industry. A majority of commercial construction firms across the US expect to grow the number of workers that they employ in 2018 due to an increased demand in everything from Institutional Construction to Multifamily Construction.

Since there’s still a skilled labor crisis, a growing number of construction companies are partnering with construction executive recruiting experts in an effort to attract and land the best candidates. But, another useful technique being used by the most successful firms is staying up-to-date with the latest trends in the industry. Here are just a few of the significant developments that are already happening, or being predicted for 2018.

Resiliency

2017 was full of record-breaking floods, hurricanes and wildfires. Although it may be possible to predict many of these natural disasters, they’re all but impossible to prevent. So, a growing number of property owners are moving towards resilient site and structure features to lessen the damage from these potential hazards. The Trump Administration even declared November 2017 as Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience Month to stress the importance of making the nation’s critical infrastructure sturdier. The demand for earthquake-resistant skyscrapers and other adaptive designs is expected to expand in 2018 and beyond.

Public Transportation

ConstructionDive listed the following US cities that have proposed plans for major investments in transportation:

  • Nashville, TN-Nashville mayor Megan Barry proposed The Let’s Move Nashville initiative, a $5.2 billion public transit and infrastructure plan. It would add 26 miles of light rail, four rapid bus routes and a tunnel under downtown Nashville.
  • Minneapolis, MN-Construction is expected to begin during the Spring of 2018 on the $1.9 billion Southwest light-rail.
  • Boston, MA-GLX Constructors were chosen to be the contractor to revive the Green Line light rail extension.

New Policies

Wages, prices and policies are just a few of the many different variables in construction careers. One notable change near the end of 2017 was the Congressional approval of the Tax and Jobs Act. The changes are expected to have a significant impact upon how firms conduct their business. Some other recent developments from ConstructionDive regarding industry rules and regulations include:

  • New York City-Intro 1447 was a new law signed by Mayor Bill de Blasio. The controversial law requires construction workers to undergo at least 40 hours of safety training.
  • California-Governor Jerry Brown recently signed a law requiring contractors acting as direct contractors on private construction projects to be financially responsible for any wages, fringe benefits and union contributions left unpaid by subcontractors and their sub-tiers.

Stay tuned as additional updates concerning the infrastructure bill are expected to be revealed in the near future.

Are you ready to build your dream team?

The Birmingham Group is a tenured construction recruiting firm dedicated to helping you build your dream team. If you are ready to take a proactive approach to recruiting and retention, reach out today to discuss a custom recruitment strategy.