Skilled Workforce Drought Continues to Plague Construction

HOUSTON—Dennis Yung, an industry veteran with more than 30 years of experience in commercial construction, has been promoted to executive vice president and general manager overseeing Houston and Dallas with Skanska USA Building. In this exclusive, Yung discusses Texas construction trends, Skanska’s sector focuses, and construction innovations and challenges.

GlobeSt.com: What are some of the construction trends you’re seeing in the local and regional marketplace?

Yung: One of the most prominent trends in the construction industry today is the continued evolution and implementation of technology. These innovations are shaping our industry in a significant way because they are transforming the way we plan our projects and changing the way we communicate on our projects. Above all, they are changing our ability to be more proactive in creating a vision for our clients.

In order to ensure that we remain on the cutting edge in our construction practices, Skanska has assembled in-house teams are focused on these tools and how we apply them. This allows our regional teams to take advantage of that connection and bring the latest technologies to the jobsite.

Sustainability also continues to be a priority for contractors and developers in the industry. At Skanska, sustainability is part of our DNA as a global contractor and is part of our process from the start. We take great pride in our proven expertise as a builder of premier sustainable projects around the globe and consider it one of our core initiatives that is interwoven into the way we work here in Houston.

GlobeSt.com: What are some of Skanska’s focus market sectors?

Yung: Skanska’s core markets in Houston include healthcare, higher education and corporate office. We continue to see opportunity, primarily in higher education and healthcare, but still some corporate office as well. Just this summer, we celebrated the completion of Bank of America Tower, Skanska’s newest sustainable trophy tower in Houston. Throughout the coming year, we are focused on continuing our strong relationships with our clients in these market sectors and look forward to exploring new opportunities throughout the region.

In the past, we have completed projects such as the Lamar University Setzer Student Center, Texas A&M Agriculture Headquarters complex, Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences’ new education building, Houston Community College San Jacinto Memorial Building renovation, Harris Health’s new Smith Clinic, Harris Health LBJ Hospital’s emergency room expansion, and Harris Health LBJ Hospital New Westlands Clinic and parking garage.

GlobeSt.com: What types of innovations in the planning and construction process are of particular note in the built environment?

Yung: At Bank of America Tower, Skanska’s new LEED v4 Platinum office development, we utilized a variety of innovative tools to assist our teams throughout the construction process. For example, we deployed drone technology in the field to keep status reporting and site logistics. We also used building information modeling to aid visualization, which allowed us to focus on the user experience of the space as well as to enhance constructability reviews. This helped our team to transcend design and focus on work in place.

Skanska works very closely with our innovative construction solutions team, an internal group focused on leading-edge technology and how we can use that technology to be better in how we do our business. This is evident in the delivery of Bank of America Tower, which was recently recognized by the US Green Building Council as the first LEED v4 Platinum Core and Shell certified project in the United States and the largest in the world.

GlobeSt.com: What are the construction challenges impacting companies in Houston? 

Yung: The biggest challenge currently facing the construction industry is the decline in and age of our skilled workforce. There are fewer young professionals coming into the industry having learned a skilled trade. To help bridge this gap in skilled labor, Skanska, through the Associated Builders & Contractors of Greater Houston, is supporting education programs that are focused on providing training for craft workers.

Skanska also has a number of other initiatives focused on recruiting and retailing skilled trade workers. Skanska is a supporter of Mayor Sylvester Turner’s Turnaround Houston program, which addresses the barriers to employment that many Houstonians face. We also conduct a military recruitment campaign to help veterans leverage their military experience and translate it into a career in the construction workforce. For example, Skanska’s new director of environmental, health and safety in Houston, Carlos Alvarez, is a military veteran.