A portion of the trillion dollar stimulus package geared toward infrastructure projects will NOT create enough construction jobs. Why? Construction is dwindling in skilled labor. The craftsmen that once built America have died off or retired and our youth has NO interest at all in learning any of the skilled trades.

I remember my first job in construction. I was sixteen years old learning to build houses back in 1977. I went to school, worked on the family farm, and discovered a prominent trade organization until retirement. My instructors were top of the line tradesmen who knew nothing else but construction. You can say that I was made to see all the trees in the forest!

But, construction today is much, much different. In fact, during the middle 1980s there was a growing concern at our local training facility about the low application rate. The head administrator called all senior representatives from every contractor around the region to discuss the low attendance issue. I was fortunate to be on the panel that day, but it wasn’t a very productive meeting.

Unfortunately, construction today is a consortium of mostly immigrant workers. The industry is full of these people who work around the clock with little complaints. The weather doesn’t bother them, nor does the hard work, nor filth associated with construction. They don’t mind receiving low pay, and doing work that nobody else wants to do.

With the market full of low paid, ready made workers poised for more work, along with a lazy generation NOT interested, America’s construction industry is in DEEP trouble. Whoever thought the stimulus plan would create more construction jobs must have been playing video games. After all, who wants to get their hands dirty or break a sweat!

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