Construction Safety in the Atypical Wake of Worker Turnover
Now is a great time to invest in safety training. Here’s why.
Even at the best of times, managing safety concerns in the wake of the construction industry’s turbulent employee turnover patterns is a challenge. And right now is hardly the best of times.
From 2012 to 2021, the construction industry experienced a monthly separation rate—the percentage of employees who were fired, quit or otherwise stopped working every month—of about 5 percent. That’s high compared to many other sectors, but industry veterans know that it’s typical for a sector noted for its sizeable employment churn, and it’s just one more unavoidable challenge of working in construction.
And then all of a sudden, in the first ten months of 2022, the monthly separation rate dropped by a quarter, moving down to 3.75 percent. On the surface, it looks like this should be a cause for celebration, but it actually signals a major shift in employer/worker dynamics in the construction industry. And it’s a sign of potential safety troubles ahead.
In the past, the majority of separations came from workers getting fired. So while turnover was high, it was driven by employers. Now, for every employee who is let go, two more quit. The overall separation rate is much lower, but the number of workers who are quitting is way up. As any hiring manager will tell you, it always seems to be the best employees who leave.
Low unemployment rates are likely contributing to the high levels of employee mobility. The latest figures available (as of this writing) show the U.S. unemployed rate at 3.7 percent. In the last 50 years, the only time the national unemployment rate has been lower was in the handful of months leading up to the pandemic. With a potential recession looming, these numbers may return to normal in the coming years. But the current economic cycle still presents several pressing issues and demonstrates the challenges that can arise for the industry in any atypical economic period.
Construction companies are having a much harder time replenishing their workforce. Because the pool of qualified laborers is a lot smaller, workers can be a lot choosier about where they go. This industry-wide challenge has quickly become a major safety headache.
If you work in construction and you have any sort of safety responsibilities, then likely, you’ve already felt the effects of this employment trend. Many of your best workers, the ones who are skilled and attentive to safety measures, have packed up their toolboxes and left for another job. They’ve been replaced with folks who seem to have never heard of the concept of workplace safety, or departed workers haven’t been replaced at all, leaving your team stretched thin.
This article originally appeared in the March 1, 2023 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.