DALLAS - Two future-oriented speakers forecasted for Construction Contractors’ Alliance (CCA) members the next 10 years of challenges and opportunities at CCA’s 10th anniversary meeting in Dallas.

Futurist Jim Carroll said there will be more “fast and furious change” in a world in which everyone is becoming connected through the Internet. He predicted that with the aging of Baby Boomers, more construction opportunities will occur in health care facilities and health-oriented retirement homes. And with the proliferation of new lifestyle management devices in the home, skilled technicians will need to be more specialized. There also will need to be more skill fragmentation and multi-tasking abilities in the workplace to match the speed with which new skills are needed for the latest technologies.

Sean O’Ryan, senior administrative assistant of the United Association, emphasized that “Whatever challenges we’ve faced in the past, they’ll pale in comparison with the challenges we’ll face in the next 10 years or so.” O’Ryan said that with a current worker shortage, workforce development and training must be a priority for everyone. He shared demographic statistics with the group, and made these predictions for the future construction industry workforce:

• It will be more multi-cultural;

• Women, African Americans, Asians, and other demographic groups will increase their role in the industry; and

• The construction industry will become increasingly dependent on higher levels of immigration.

The CCA is an enhanced service group of the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors-National Association (PHCC). For more information, visit www.phccweb.org.

Publication date: 03/10/2008