At the Elevate 2025 Conference held on September 4 in Washington, D.C., industry leaders warned that the persistent construction labor shortage has reached critical levels — posing risks not only to the economy but to national security.
George Guszcza, president and CEO of the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS), emphasized that the labor shortfall now undermines the country’s ability to build and maintain its infrastructure.
“When you look across the entirety of the built environment, the gap that is created has risen to the level of a national security issue and requires us, as a country, to look hard, to look deep, to make sure that we are doing what is necessary,” Guszcza said.
Conference participants agreed that while local initiatives and pilot programs have shown promise, the lack of a coordinated, national workforce strategy threatens U.S. competitiveness — particularly as the country embarks on multibillion-dollar reshoring and infrastructure projects.
Immigration Policy and Federal Systems in the Spotlight
Panelists underscored that immigration and visa reform could play a vital role in solving workforce shortages, particularly in construction.
Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer noted that the current federal visa system, including programs like H-1B and H-2B, is outdated and cumbersome, slowing workforce access.
“They need it cheaper and faster,” Chavez-DeRemer said, referring to employers and industries relying on these programs. “Those things need to be accessible to the people who are using the systems we have in place.”
Modernizing these immigration processes, she said, would make it easier for contractors, farmers, and producers to hire the talent they urgently need.
Tapping Into Untapped Talent Pools
The discussion highlighted veterans, military spouses, and women as key but underutilized groups in addressing the workforce crisis.
Veterans as a Vital Pipeline
Programs like SkillBridge, Hiring Our Heroes, and new partnerships with Lowe’s help veterans and their families transition from military to civilian construction careers, said Elizabeth O’Brien, senior vice president at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.
Tanya Wattenburg Komas, president and CEO of the Concrete Preservation Institute, proposed turning national parks into training hubs for veterans entering the civilian workforce.
Such initiatives would allow participants to work on meaningful restoration projects — like those at Pearl Harbor National Memorial and Alcatraz Island — while simultaneously addressing the National Park Service’s $22 billion maintenance backlog.
Retention Challenges
Despite these promising initiatives, retention remains difficult.
Shirley Albritton, vice president of Department of Defense Programs and Services at NIBS, noted that nearly half of veterans leave their first civilian job within a year.
Panelists urged contractors to collaborate across companies to keep trained workers within the industry, even if they change employers — focusing on retaining talent in construction overall rather than at individual firms.
The Role of Women in Closing the Labor Gap
Women remain significantly underrepresented in the construction industry. Panelists cited cultural barriers and outdated stereotypes as ongoing deterrents.
Branka Minic, CEO of the Building Talent Foundation, said many still view construction as “dirty, difficult, dangerous and dead-end,” which discourages women from pursuing careers in the field.
Ellen Thorp, managing director of the Coalition for Sustainable Roofing, added that women need visible role models who demonstrate that long-term success and work-life balance are possible in construction careers.
A survey by the National Center for Construction Education and Research and Ambition Theory found that 68% of women cited poor leadership as a reason for leaving the industry.
The Growing Scale of the Problem
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, construction job openings increased by 26% at the end of July — the highest level in over a year. The expanding gap underscores the urgency of addressing workforce shortages before they disrupt key infrastructure and national projects.
Moving Toward a Coordinated National Strategy
Panelists concluded that closing the labor gap will require a multi-pronged, systemic approach, combining:
- Immigration and visa modernization
- Veteran and military spouse recruitment pipelines
- Improved retention and leadership training
- Targeted outreach to women and underrepresented groups
Until such coordination takes place, “shovels cannot break ground if no one’s there to hold them,” Guszcza warned — a powerful reminder that America’s construction workforce crisis is not just an economic issue, but a strategic imperative for national security.
