Raising the bar: Craftsmanship as construction’s talent advantage

Photo provided by McCarthy Building Companies. 2026-04-01T14:25:00-07:00 Eric Fields Sponsored Raising the bar: Craftsmanship as construction’s talent advantage While other industries and employers are laying off workers, construction positions remain unfilled on jobsites across Arizona. The workforce gap in the construction trades is making room for new builders to join the industry and help shape communities while developing their skills and careers. Currently, more builders in the skilled trades are leaving the profession than joining, according to 2025 data and 2026 projections from the Associated Builders and Contractors. With only two new workers joining the trades, compared with five who retire or leave the field, the gap poses challenges for the construction industry and Arizona’s economy. Getting new workers to consider the construction industry is a decades-old challenge. For generations, the pressure on students and young people has been to “go to college” for a career. Attending a four-year school is expensive, and with advancements in artificial intelligence, Forbes notes that the number of entry-level job opportunities upon graduation is declining significantly.  Working in construction with the right company means a high-paying, solid career path. The Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity projects construction to have the highest job growth rate in the state over the next two years, and a recent study by Mesa Community College predicts that in 2026, there w...