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Construction Hiring Challenges: Solutions to Overcome Talent Shortages
27 Jan, 20255 Minutes
Businesses in the construction, building materials, and construction equipment industries are in a great position to thrive and innovate in 2025. With Donald Trump winning the US election, interest rates on construction equipment have stabilized and are set to decrease, leading to an increase in market activity as businesses undertake new projects.
However, growth can cause construction hiring challenges, especially when it comes to attracting and retaining skilled talent. From skilled technicians to sales professionals, the sector requires a diverse range of skilled professionals to meet the demands of a dynamic market, but the ongoing talent shortages in construction make finding talent a challenge.
Overcoming Hiring Challenges in Construction
Let’s take a look at some proactive solutions to overcoming hiring challenges in the construction, building materials, and construction equipment industries that could help your business attract the right talent and skillsets to drive success in today’s market.
Leverage Market Rebound
With the construction industry set to rebound in 2025, now is the perfect time for businesses in the construction, construction equipment, and building materials sectors to innovate and thrive.
John Deignan, Capital Equipment Dealerships specialist at CSG Talent, believes that construction businesses will feel more comfortable beginning large-scale projects now that Donald Trump is president:
“There was a slowdown in 2024 because everyone was anticipating the election but, since Trump has come into power, interest rates have become more favorable. There’s now a feeling that the industry will experience a massive bounce back in 2025 because businesses have the added security of knowing interest rates won’t suddenly increase.”
As a leader in a construction organization, resource planning should be a key focus as you search for skilled talent to help your business grow as the market improves. Waiting until the market has fully rebounded could lead to missing out on key talent, so taking a proactive approach is imperative.
By planning headcount and getting the ball rolling to hire critical skillsets well in advance, you can ensure your business is ready to meet rising demand. It’s also essential to develop a tailored hiring strategy by identifying the roles that will be vital for your business, such as technicians, sales professionals, and project managers.
Prioritize Hiring Diverse Talent
Diversity in leadership is crucial, as research by McKinsey & Co found that companies in the top 25% for executive gender diversity were 25% more likely to generate greater profits, and 36% more likely to outperform their competitors. These statistics highlight that embracing diversity is one of the best ways to increase innovation, attract talent, and build an effective workforce.
Here are three of the best ways to increase diversity in your business:
Make Job Descriptions Inclusive: Ensure you don’t use biased, unwelcoming language that can deter talent, instead focusing on the skills and values you’re looking for in a candidate.
Implement Unconscious Bias Training: Unconscious bias training helps your hiring team recognize and address unconscious bias, ensuring a fairer recruitment process.
Create Mentorship and Support Programs: Mentorship programs and clear career progression opportunities can help retain employees from diverse backgrounds.
Offer Competitive Salaries and Benefits
In a competitive recruitment market, offering attractive salaries and benefits packages is essential to ensure your business can attract and retain top talent. As a business, you should conduct salary benchmarking to understand what your competitors are offering for similar roles and make sure you offer a competitive package.
However, professionals aren’t just looking for a good salary, other important considerations include benefits such as healthcare, retirement plans, and bonuses. In fact, nearly 80% of employees would prefer additional benefits to a salary increase, according to Glassdoor. There’s also a rising demand for work-life balance, so offering flexible schedules and good holiday allowances can help you attract and retain talent. 
The benefits a candidate will be looking for often depend on their job role. For example, equipment technicians may look for professional development opportunities, such as certifications in advanced machinery, while sales professionals may want performance-based bonuses. Tailoring your benefits to the needs and desires of your employees shows that you understand and care about their priorities, which is likely to increase their loyalty and motivation.
Invest in Upskilling and Training
To tackle talent shortages effectively, it’s important to invest in training and development programs to equip your existing workforce with industry-specific skills. With technology evolving all the time, roles like equipment repair technicians and machine operators now require more technical expertise than ever before.
Offering additional training to your employees allows them to develop the skillsets that are needed to keep up with industry demands. As well as improving efficiency and performance, it also helps with the retention of employees, with LinkedIn’s Workplace Learning Report finding that 94% of employees said they would stay at a company longer if it invested in their learning and development. Because construction is constantly evolving, it’s also important to make sure training is a regular ongoing process, rather than a one-off.
Embrace Skills First Hiring
Adopting a skills first approach to hiring is another way to effectively combat talent shortages. This approach will create new opportunities to find talent by focusing on transferable skills instead of relying strictly on industry experience. As well as giving you access to a wider talent pool, this approach brings fresh perspectives and ideas that can drive innovation and growth. 
For example, a sales role in construction equipment is more relationship-based, so you may need somebody with strong negotiation skills rather than experience in the industry itself. There are several industries where the skillsets align with the needs of construction, construction equipment, and building materials, including:
Food Distribution: This industry relies heavily on distribution logistics and operational efficiency. Professionals in food distribution are typically skilled in managing supply chains and maintaining relationships, skills that are also important in construction equipment distribution.
Mining and Marine: Like construction, these sectors involve large-scale machinery and specialized equipment. Candidates from mining or marine backgrounds often have experience with technical systems, which makes them ideal for roles in equipment repair or operations management.
Automotive: Although automotive sales are more transactional, talent in this field often have strong customer service skills, sales strategy, and technical knowledge.
To successfully adopt a skills first hiring strategy, it’s important to highlight opportunities for growth within your organization to attract candidates who may be hesitant to switch to a new industry.
For more expert insights on skills first hiring, read our recent blog on combatting talent shortages or hear from mining leader Peggy Bell on our podcast, Conversations with CSG.
Construction Recruitment Experts at CSG Talent
Overcoming construction hiring challenges requires a robust talent strategy and executive search expertise. At CSG Talent, we specialize in connecting businesses with skilled talent in the construction, construction equipment, and building materials sectors. Our tailored executive search services are designed to help you identify, attract, and retain the professionals your business needs to thrive.
Contact CSG Talent today to discover how we can help you overcome your construction hiring challenges and achieve your business goals.
For more expert insights on recruitment trends in the US, explore our industry showdown.
