Bridging the Gap: Addressing the Civil Engineering Labor Crisis

Are you overwhelmed with projects and feel like your firm lacks the capacity to keep up with the demand? Is there an immense amount of unfinished construction projects around your town? Has your search for new civil engineering talent been unsuccessful? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may be feeling the effects of the civil engineering labor shortage. This article explores the reasons behind this shortage and what civil engineering firms can do to bridge the gap.

The Problems

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2022, about 25,000 civil engineers will be needed each year for the next decade. The lack of civil engineers in the industry can be attributed to many factors. One factor is the population decline. The current generation of civil engineers, affectionally called the baby-boomers, are approaching retirement age and are exiting the industry. Subsequent generations had fewer children than the baby-boomers, resulting in fewer individuals entering the civil engineering field. There are physically less people to fill the roles needed in the industry. Another factor that contributes to the shortage of civil engineers lies within higher education. Many students who pursue civil engineering in college do not complete their degrees. Some find the rigor to be a deterrent, while others pursue industries with higher entry-level salaries for similar STEM skills. Between the years of 2012 and 2022, 6% of bachelor’s degrees awarded from post-secondary institutions were engineering degrees according to research conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Other notable majors that require math and science skills include Business at 19%, Health professions and related programs at 13%, and Biological and biomedical sciences 7%. A notable statistic shows business and health related programs were the top two fields for which degrees were conferred to students in each racial/ethnic group in the last academic year of this study. Additionally, the top two fields of study for which degrees were conferred to U.S. nonresident students were business and engineering.

Economic factors also contribute to the crisis facing the civil engineering industry today. Current inflation creates a snowball effect on a company’s expenses. For example, if there is 7% inflation, the employee is expecting a 7% raise. However, clients want a 10-15% decrease in price to accommodate for the economic struggles like increase material costs and their own salary demands. This forces employers to decide on where to allocate their financial resources. In an industry that is deadline based, clients must receive their projects in a timely manner, prompting engineering firms to maintain the appropriate number of staff to keep up with demand. This leads firms to hire experienced engineers rather than train new ones, preventing a new generation of engineers from gaining experience. If engineering firms cannot find those experienced engineers, the workload then falls on their current employees, potentially leading to burnout, a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by stress. The result is that companies compete for talent in an already shallow pool.

The Solutions

Engineers tend to enjoy finding solutions for problems. The civil engineering labor crisis is no different. The civil engineering industry needs to find ways to attract talent and convince others to join the profession. This article offers the following solutions in two types: short-term and long-term.

Short-term Solutions

While the labor crisis is an industry problem, there are immediate actions that engineering firms can take to help to retain their current employees. First, companies should identify current workforce pain points, such as project delays or skill gaps, and financial goals. Determining where the company is suffering financially and what goals it is striving for will help define its needs. Secondly, evaluating compensation, flexibility, and advancement opportunities should be part of the company’s self-evaluation. Companies should have competitive compensation, flexible hours, and should offer advancement opportunities that equal or surpass competing industries. Next, engineering firms should invest in technology like Building Information Modeling (BIM) and project management software to enhance their employees’ current work. This investment reinforces that the employees will not be replaced by technology, but rather that their work is so vital to the goals of the company that it should be cultivated. Additionally, acknowledging that employees have lives outside of work can help prevent burnout. Firms can achieve this by incorporating caregiving needs into workplace culture or benefits, or by inviting and involving families in company meetings and social events. If an employee decides to resign to focus on family, the company could offer reentry tools to incentivize their return to the career field. Finally, employees need to feel a sense of value beyond their productivity and calculations. A greater focus on giving back and community impact can provide the employees with a sense of value in their careers. At Aquinas Engineering, every year around the 28^th of January, we invite our employees and their families to dedicate one day to serving and giving back to our community. Last year, we spent the day sanitizing mats for people experiencing homelessness at Haven for Hope in San Antonio, TX. This year, we plan to serve food to those in need at St. Vincent de Paul Society’s Mesa Dining Room in Phoenix, AZ. We are grateful for the opportunity to serve our community together as a company. Follow our LinkedIn page for updates on this year’s community day.

In addition to making short-term changes to retain employees, short-term changes must also be made to attract future employees. Firstly, higher pay is one of the best ways to attract talent. Competitive wages can be what attract competent employees to one engineering firm as opposed to another. Secondly, benefits should be on par with or better than competing industries. Benefits such as optional remote work and additional paid time off are becoming increasingly popular in our post-COVID pandemic society. For example, some companies are adding one week of vacation at the end of the year for the Christmas season, an attractive incentive for those employees with school aged children. Additionally, reducing time-to-hire and recruitment barriers can increase the rate at which new hires can be integrated into the company. If the employee must move to the city where the company operates, perhaps the firm can cover moving costs as an incentive. Finally, the workspace environment must be attractive enough for the employee to want to go to work every day. Cubicles that isolate engineers from one another may assume an increase in productivity, but at the cost of a positive and collaborative workspace. Engineering firms must discern the balance between productive and collaborative workspaces.

Long-term Solutions

Like any systemic issue, solutions that address the fundamental problems may take time to develop and implement. However, they often yield more profound results. One action that industries can take is to focus on potential talent entering the field at the college level. Large civil engineering firms can develop college programs for engineering student retention and support, fostering a sense of pride and possibility in attaining a civil engineering degree. These firms could also create college recruitment teams that offer internships and scholarships to aspiring students. Perhaps these scholarships could help finance the high tuition costs that might be a barrier to some students’ dreams of becoming a civil engineer. Efforts to attract talent do not have to stop at higher education. Civil engineering firms can build strategic partnerships with high schools, encouraging students to enter infrastructure professions. Furthermore, companies could develop and support STEM curriculum in K-12 education, ensuring students are equipped with the skills and tools needed to solve civil engineering problems such as Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software or basic principles of structural analysis. Additionally, firms can create multiple entry points into the engineering profession beyond the traditional 4-year university model like apprenticeships, technical certifications or community college programs. The changes could broaden the scope of potential future civil engineers.

Long-term efforts that can be developed from within the engineering firm can also prove to be effective in bringing in new civil engineers. First, companies should evaluate their current staff and recognize opportunities to diversify their workforce to include different races and genders. Aspiring civil engineers may be discouraged from entering a profession where they do not see representation of themselves. Finally, companies should showcase and take pride in the projects they have completed. This industry contributes to fascinating pieces of infrastructure that are often underappreciated by the public. For example, Aquinas Engineering recently had the opportunity to conduct calculations on the skylight systems for Universal Studios’ upcoming Celestial Park in Orlando, FL. We are excited to be given the opportunity and to see the vision come to life. Civil engineers do not just work on physical buildings and infrastructure; we create environments where people can thrive and connect safely and comfortably. Having a portfolio section on the company’s website can be an easy way to showcase these achievements. Check out the Aquinas Engineering portfolio on our website by clicking here.

Intangible Shift

Addressing the civil engineering labor crisis is a multifaceted challenge with no single solution. According to Projections Central for 2023, there is a projected 5% increase in national civil engineering jobs over the next decade, highlighting the ongoing demand for skilled professionals. Civil engineering is about shaping the future and improving community quality of life in communities. To bridge the gap, fostering a cultural shift within the industry is essential. This includes promoting diversity, continuous learning, and making civil engineering careers appealing to younger generations. Long-term solutions involve attracting and retaining talent at all educational levels, from K-12 to higher education, and creating multiple entry points into the profession. By embracing these strategies, the civil engineering industry can build a resilient and innovative workforce ready to tackle future challenges.

What are some short-term or long-term changes your firm is making considering the labor shortage? Connect with us on our website.

By Aquinas Engineering

Sources

ASCE. “Strategies to Address Engineering Workforce Challenges.” NGA_ASCE_Workforce_BestPractices_Final.pdf, Aug. 2023, https://infrastructurereportcard.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/NGA_ASCE_Workforce_BestPractices_Final.pdf.

Cornell, Lewis P., PE. “Solving the Labor Shortage to Support Infrastructure Progress.” Civil + Structural Engineer Magazine, 1 Nov. 2022, https://csengineermag.com/solving-the-labor-shortage-to-support-infrastructure-progress/.

Division of Technology Services. “Long-term Occupational Projections (2022-2032).” ProjectionsCentralSite, 2024, https://projectionscentral.org/longterm.

NCES. “Most Common Undergraduate Fields of Study.” Fast Facts, 2024, https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=37.

Reid, Robert L. “Why US Civil Engineering Firms Face a Labor Shortage.” ASCE, 1 May 2023, https://www.asce.org/publications-and-news/civil-engineering-source/civil-engineering-magazine/issues/magazine-issue/article/2023/05/why-us-civil-engineering-firms-face-a-labor-shortage.

Truax, Dennis D. “Civil Engineers: Declining Numbers and Increasing Need.” ASCE, 1 Sept. 2022, https://www.asce.org/publications-and-news/civil-engineering-source/civil-engineering-magazine/issues/magazine-issue/article/2022/09/civil-engineers-declining-numbers-and-increasing-need/.

Walpole, Ben. “How to Address the Civil Engineering Workforce Numbers Problem.” ASCE, 5 Sept. 2023, https://www.asce.org/publications-and-news/civil-engineering-source/article/2023/09/05/how-to-address-the-civil-engineering-workforce-numbers-problem.