Construction

By September 2022, there will be more than 155,000 vacant construction industry jobs in Arizona. In a 2016 HomeAdvisor survey, 93% of industry respondents said the labor shortage is preventing their businesses from growing over the next year. This struggle to find qualified employees has significant economic consequences for not only construction firms, but their customers and vendors as well. Talent gaps delay construction projects, meaning slower economic growth for Arizona.

It’s time to attract the talent that’s going to help build Arizona’s future.

The Construction Workforce Collaborative—including commercial and residential contractors and subcontractors— is focused on attracting opportunity youth, women, veterans, and other individuals to launch high-potential careers and pursue opportunities to earn while they learn.

Led by industry, the Greater Phoenix Chamber Foundation takes a multi-layered approach to strengthen the construction workforce pipeline:

Download Overview

Current Focus: Increasing career awareness via the Build Your Future (BYF) Arizona campaign

In order to effectively attract and retain new talent, it’s time to change the conversation and show people that construction has real career pathways to success and fulfillment. Guided by industry priorities, the Foundation launched a construction career awareness initiative called BYF Arizona to illustrate the diverse career pathways available, and inspire the next generation of craft professionals.

BYFAZ.org

BYF Arizona launched on October 16, 2019, and is a three-year campaign, which has the potential to be continued beyond the initial three years with additional investments.

The campaign showcases the stories of dedicated, hard-working individuals building a life for themselves while also contributing to their local economy, provides information on specific skilled-trade careers, and highlights entry points to training, education, and job opportunities.

Annual Report

Testimonials

BYF Arizona will lead the way in educating people on how rewarding it is to be a craft professional and restore respect and pride to those wearing hard hats and building Arizona. – Mike Bontrager, Steering Committee Fundraising Chair, President SW for Adolfson & Peterson Construction

I wanted to be in a role that I could help shape the campaign, and the only way to do that is to invest…I don’t hesitate to buy a truck if it’s needed, so why would I be concerned about investing in my industry? – Dan Puente, Steering Committee, Founder & CEO of DP Electric

BYF Arizona is our industry’s effort to inform Arizona about what many of us have known for quite some time: that individuals can make a great living and build a lifelong career in construction. – Mike Brewer, Steering Committee Chair, CEO of Brewer Companies/Benjamin Franklin Plumbing

We need new tradespeople to enter the industry and begin learning now. That’s why we’ve invested in BYF Arizona. – Marcia Veidmark, Steering Committee, President of SSC Underground