Colorado Construction Sector Workforce Needs Study

The construction sector in Colorado, in common with many states across the country, faces serious skills shortages. In Colorado, this trend will be exacerbated by a major long-term transit construction project in the metro Denver area. A new NNSP report discusses the role of sector initiatives in addressing these issues.

The report can be accessed here.

The report begins by analyzing labor market information and presents the projected high demand occupations in the sector. It then provides an assessment of which of these occupations are both part of a career pathway and pay a self sufficiency wage. It also identifies issues constraining Colorado’s capacity to meet the demand in these occupations. This section also includes a list of occupations specific to the transit construction industry.

The report includes examples of construction sector initiatives that have successfully addressed recruitment and skill development issues, and outlines general design principles for sector initiatives to effectively target workforce challenges across a wide range of industry sectors. The report concludes by suggesting improvements to the construction industry’s overall approach to recruiting workers, aimed at bridging the long term skills shortfall.

This publication was made possible through the generous financial support of the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment and the Colorado Workforce Development Council.