Today’s job market is complex, but one thing is clear: construction is a standout career choice. The industry offers multiple careers of choice for job seekers who want high-demand, well-compensated and rewarding employment with opportunities to climb the career ladder.
The latest data from Associated Builders and Contractors show that a chronic workforce shortage persists in construction, meaning opportunities for job seekers are abundant, especially in the commercial and industrial segments. The industry needs to attract 349,000 new workers in 2026 to meet demand for construction services.
The industry needs to bring in fewer workers than in recent years due to modest construction spending growth forecasts for 2026 and 2027 and other macroeconomic dynamics like an aging workforce.
This dip in our industry’s worker shortage offers lawmakers and industry leaders three practical lessons that can create a brighter future for the people who want to build America.
First, deploying ABC’s all-of-the-above workforce development strategy to bring new workers into the industry and educate them through both industry-driven and government-registered apprenticeship programs is essential.
ABC Hawaii is helping meet the state’s ongoing demand for skilled construction professionals by delivering workforce development and education programs that support both entry-level workers and experienced industry talent. With hiring needs remaining strong across Hawaiʻi’s construction market, ABC Hawaii focuses on practical, career-building training pathways that prepare people for long-term success in the trades.
At the center of this effort is ABC Hawaii’s Craft Training & Apprenticeship program, which offers registered apprenticeship pathways in five essential trades: Carpentry, Electrical, Plumbing, Painting, and Roofing. These programs combine paid, hands-on field learning with structured classroom instruction, allowing apprentices to earn while they learn and build real-world job-site competency.
If you’re thinking about what comes after high school, compare your options. ABC Hawaii’s Trade School offers a hands-on path to a real career—without the student debt.
ABC Hawaii also promotes construction trade school pathways as another proven way to enter the industry, offering students hands-on, instructor-led training aligned with in-demand career tracks across the islands. This helps expand the workforce pipeline by giving job seekers multiple pathways to build skills and pursue rewarding construction careers.
Through these combined workforce development pathways, ABC Hawaii continues educating apprentices and craft students each year using a structured, employer-connected model that strengthens hiring pipelines, supports contractors across Hawaii, and creates more opportunities for residents to build stable careers close to home.
Two, upskilling workers on rapidly evolving technologies is vital.
Three, federal lawmakers should introduce a new market-based worker visa system for construction, which would strengthen border security, close loopholes to curb abuse of the asylum system and include a robust vetting process.
It’s a pivotal moment for an industry in need of skilled job seekers To shrink the shortage and introduce new talent to construction’s rewarding career paths, now is the time for action—not complacency. In this complex job market, construction is hiring.
