HOUSTON—Construction represents 10% of the US GDP. During the last seven years, the construction market has demonstrated healthy and steady growth with no abatement in sight.

The commercial/industrial sector of the AIA Architectural Billing Index indicates for the last year, there has been an ever-increasing amount of design work: translation, an even greater volume of construction is on the way. Moreover, the recent natural disasters across the United States, Mexico and the Caribbean can only continue to impact the ever-increasing gap of labor supply and demand, according to analysis from DRB Consulting LLC.

A survey from the Associated General Contractors of America found that 67% of construction firms are having difficulty finding skilled workers such as carpenters, bricklayers, electricians and plumbers. This labor shortage can be tied to the Great Recession of 2008/2009, where skilled labor left the industry to find new and more reliable employment. The general consensus has been that a significant percentage stayed with those new professions and never returned to the industry. And, Baby Boomers are reaching retirement age at a rate of 10,000 a day, with a good portion of the construction workforce expected to hang up the tool belt for an easier life.