The Construction is Essential Workforce Campaign was conceived in part due to how the industry was impacted by COVID-19. The coronavirus and related economic lockdowns has led to significant changes in the labor market compared to pre-pandemic times.
The construction industry, for example, cut nearly 1 million people from its payrolls be-tween March and April 2020, and only hired back about 40 percent of those workers in May and June 2020. Meanwhile, more than 30 million Americans have lost their jobs during the past quarter. The new labor dynamic has created a unique opportunity for the industry to attract a significant portion of the newly unemployed into high-paying construction careers.