The last two times they’ve needed repairs to a 1950s-built house they own, Building Savvy publishers Steve and Beverly Smirnis were surprised that young women have shown up to answer the call.
“When a 20-something-year-old young lady came out to do a plumbing repair, we said to each other, ‘That girl has a very bright future. I’m willing to bet she’ll be the owner of that plumbing company in a few years.’” remarks Beverly Smirnis. “Most recently, we needed an AC repair. And once again, a young woman in her ’20s came out, fixed the problem, and got the AC up and running in no time.”
“It’s no surprise that women are capable. But it’s exciting that to see that they are interested in these types of careers. It’s no doubt a reflection of the concerted effort from industry leaders, policymakers, and educational institutions to promote opportunities and provide supportive environments for women in construction.”
ndeed, Texas has the largest number of women working in construction (137,000), followed by California (135,000) and Florida (119,000). The numbers reported by NAHB reflect data as of 2022, showing the three states accounted for 30% of all women employed in the industry.
Social media posts by Gen-Z Workers Are
“Making Blue Collar Cool”
Social media may be one reason why more students overall, and more women, are enrolling in vocation-focused community colleges. Some 2.2 million people on TikTok, Instagram and Facebook watch a 27-year-old female electrician do her work in Cornwall, N.Y. The skilled-trade influencers say they also want to blow up stereotypes. “No longer are they seen as grease monkeys stuck in low-end careers,” reports the Wall Street Journal.
The influencer posts promote the wages blue-collar workers can make. And many sources tout readily available jobs. With 8.2 million payroll construction workers in the county, NAHB said the number of open construction sector jobs was still above 400,000 at the start of 2024. NAHB calculates that when you consider the number of people that retire from the industry every year, this makes the needed amount of construction worker hiring about 723,000 per year.
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