Tim Clancy, president of Clancy & Theys Construction Company and a longtime member of Carolinas Associated General Contractors (CAGC), promoted well-paying, high-tech jobs available now in the construction industry, during the Aug. 24 taped interview in the Newsmaker segment of Bottom Line, a weekly televised program that analyzes business and economic trends from a North Carolina perspective.
“One of our biggest challenges is finding people to do the work. There are a lot of really good jobs available in construction,” Clancy said. “These are well-paying jobs, high-tech jobs. But we just can’t find the people to build these jobs right now.”
The program, produced by UNC-TV in the North Carolina Legislative Building in Raleigh, is available here (to view only the interview, scroll to 17:25).
The interview was arranged by Dave Simpson, CAGC president and CEO, with Joe Stewart, one of the anchors of Bottom Line, which is distributed to more than 5,000 business leaders and elected officials. Clancy & Theys, headquartered in Raleigh, was founded in 1949 and is one of the largest building contractor companies in the Southeast.
During the televised show, Clancy said top construction industry needs include “skilled journeymen — carpenters, electricians, plumbers, HVAC people. And these jobs are way more high tech than they were in the past where a carpenter was a guy with a hammer and knowledge on how to use a framing square. Technology has changed tremendously in the last 30 years. These are highly-skilled, well-paid jobs, too.”
Asked about the solution to the job shortage, Clancy said: “Reducing immigration is probably not going to help any. I will say that. I think we have to do a better job of talking to people in high schools to look at these jobs…(and) selling the construction industry to young people.”
Clancy said that high school graduates can receive on-the job training in the construction industry “making good salaries right off the bat.” He said those salaries will grow in construction careers and added that technical schools also provide a good training ground for the construction industry.
For information about what Carolinas AGC is doing for the construction industry’s workforce shortage, visit CAGC’s Build Your Career workforce initiative. Tim Clancy’s appearance is part of CAGC’s ongoing efforts throughout the Carolinas in focusing on construction industry ambassadors going into the middle schools and high schools to promote construction as a career.