Why NJ needs more women in the construction trades | Opinion

Greg Lalevee and Kate Gibbs
·4 min read

If you’ve recently tried to get an electrician, plumber or another skilled trade worker to your home or office you know how difficult it is to find a professional who’s quickly available. And it is only going to get worse. America faces a shortage of skilled trade workers and its especially acute in New Jersey.

The shortage of skilled trade workers is further exacerbated because the professions are dominated by men. We are essentially missing half of the potential workforce that could be recruited into the field. It’s even more acute as women now account for 46% of the U.S. workforce.
The shortage of skilled trade workers is further exacerbated because the professions are dominated by men. We are essentially missing half of the potential workforce that could be recruited into the field. It’s even more acute as women now account for 46% of the U.S. workforce.

U.S. policy is the cause of this shortage. As soldiers came home from World War II, employers, educators, politicians, and parents argued that the only sure ticket to the good life in America is a college degree and government policies actively encouraged high school grads and their parents that getting a college degree was the ideal way to build a successful career. Those who graduate from college do earn more, on average, than people who don’t, but the statistics can be misleading. Many young people who start don’t finish, yet still take on tens of thousands in education loans—and those who do graduate often discover that the economic advantage of holding a degree can be negated, for years, by the cost of having acquired it.

Too few of our political leaders have touted the importance of pursuing a career in a skilled construction trade. As a result, we don’t have anywhere near the skilled trade workers we need to meet the construction demands of building enough housing, among other needs. Coupled with the fact that New Jersey is a huge exporter of college students to the other 49 states, we feel the shortage here more than other states.

What’s more, the shortage of skilled trade workers is further exacerbated because the professions are dominated by men. We are essentially missing half of the potential workforce that could be recruited into the field. It’s even more acute as women now account for 46% of the U.S. workforce.

The number of women making a career in the construction trades must improve, and we want our union, the International Union Operating Engineers to help lead the charge. According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 11% of the entire American construction workforce were women last year. It’s a missed opportunity for pay parity compared to other careers. Women in the United States earn on average 82.9% of what men make. The gender pay gap is significantly smaller in construction occupations, with women earning on average 95.5% of what men make. For union construction positions, men and women are paid identical wages.

Yet even with the almost dollar for dollar parity in pay the number of women entering the construction industry has barely moved in the last 15 years, according to BLS. In 2005, there were 1.079 million in the field and the number of those in our profession increased by less than one hundred thousand by 2020.

That’s why the IUOE passed our first resolution this year recognizing the monumental contributions that IUOE tradeswomen have made in the construction industry and the need to further promote awareness among women about the numerous benefits of embarking on a career as an operating engineer. Interestingly, the lead crane operator during the construction of what at the time was New Jersey’s tallest building — the Goldman Sachs tower in Jersey City — was a woman. We need more!

To further the goal, our union has established the IUOE Tradeswomen Committee that shall, at the direction of the General President, work in conjunction and coordination with existing organizations such as NABTU's Tradeswomen Committee and the AFL-CIO Committee on Women Workers, to help develop and promote the interests of all tradeswomen who are currently working, or who wish to begin a career, as an IUOE apprentice and journeyperson.

But that’s just a start. We need politicians to be far more supportive of career training in the skilled trades. For instance, a significant trend in recent years, at all levels of education, has been a growing emphasis on so-called STEM instruction. The acronym stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics—disciplines that, in the words of the U.S. Department of Education, impart “21st century career readiness and global competitiveness.” No doubt vital, but so is preparing highschoolers for the construction trades as well. It is the reason why our education platform calls for combining STEM and mechatronic, engineering and advanced manufacturing instruction for our skilled trades.

Vocational technical schools are vital in New Jersey and our state government and education leaders need to be bolder in growing these programs, especially to encourage high school girls to join these programs. Our union will be actively recruiting to increase opportunities for half the population that are not involved in our skilled trades. On the heels of Mother’s Day could we say anything less?

Greg Lalevee is business manager of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 825 and is president of the Somerset County Vocational Board of Education. Kate Gibbs is deputy director of 825’s Labor-Employer Cooperative.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ women construction trades