Pub. 3 2020-2021 Issue 3

28 U nemployment in August 2020 was high: according to Statistica, 13.54 million people were looking for jobs. August 2021 was better because by then, Statistica only listed 8.38 million unemployed people. With such large numbers, it’s easy to think there is no shortage of people to hire, but the pandemic recession hasn’t changed the need to find, train and retain new workers in the asphalt industry. The shutdown worsened everything because many workers who lost their jobs, especially people with extensive work experience, decided to retire or change industries. Unemployment statistics don’t count the people who retired. A pre-pandemic 2019 survey found that even though 91% of road construction companies wanted to hire, more than 80% had difficulty finding suitable candidates. Please note, the survey included unionized and nonunionized companies. The employee shortage delays projects and makes companies hesitant to bid on new contracts. The shortage doesn’t mean you won’t find people to hire, but the process might be more challenging than you would like, and it makes sense to encourage employees to stay as long as possible. Investing in your workforce will benefit your company during good times and bad. When your company is prospering and everything is going well, making it clear how much you value your employees encourages them to build a career with you. Downturns are an opportunity to build loyalty, too; people don’t forget it when they know you could have cut their job and didn’t. At the same time, one of your jobs is to determine which employees are valuable and whether any employees drain the organization. If you can help someone become more productive, that’s great. But if you don’t succeed, you are doing them and the company a favor by letting them find a better job somewhere else. Part of the problem is that people don’t have a good understanding of the industry. They see workers dressed in long pants and safety vests pouring hot asphalt on a hot day while surrounded by backed-up traffic. The work looks difficult, dangerous and uncomfortable. No wonder it’s hard to find employees if they think the work consists of that and nothing else. PRIORITIZING WORKFORCE RETENTION