Nothing gets built without labor. And labor is growing ever harder to come by.
Even as fewer construction workers leave their jobs, whether by their own decisions or through layoffs, openings in the industry shot up in September 15% month-over-month to 431,000 total openings.
Those positions need to be filled, and some companies are filling the demand with the help of online tools, built to help contractors find the right talent for their jobs.
While hiring giants like LinkedIn, Indeed, CareerBuilder and Monster dominate the market because of their generalized search capacity, construction-specific boards have cropped up in recent years, giving builders a new ways to hunt for talent.
“Digital job boards, social media tools, newer platforms and a more connected ecosystem play a big role in how recruiting has evolved,” said Matt Abeles, Associated Builders and Contractors’ vice president of construction technology and innovation, in an email to Construction Dive.
Here are eight tech-based recruitment tools for general and specialty contractors, some for free:
Arcoro
This human resources software platform for the construction industry emphasizes hiring the right candidate the first time. Its Applicant Tracking System allows contractors to file away prospective job-seekers and streamline the hiring process, per its website. It also smooths out the onboarding process, and offers other human resources processes, like benefits management and analytics around company makeup. Cost for the service varies.
Construction Career Board by Procore
Powered by Arcoro, contech giant Procore offers a free job board that allows potential tradeworkers to search for jobs in multiple locations and for specific titles. The platform lets employers post open positions, and allows prospective employees to filter based on advanced strings or general criteria, per its website.
Construction Careers by Associated General Contractors of America
AGC of America’s job board is a resource for both owners and employees. Workers can set up alerts and upload their resumes, while employers can pay to post positions, starting at $200 for a 30-day term for one position.
Construction Jobs
This job board lets tradeworkers upload a resume and start searching for work in fields like commercial construction, heavy civil and residential building. For potential employers, Construction Jobs offers the option to create 30-day job posts, custom plans for different functions, and a premium, 12-month pricing package.
iHireConstruction
With over 90,000 jobs and over 1 million candidates on its site, iHireConstruction presents an option for contractors to find qualified workers. The website features what it calls a “job wrap,” which tracks a contractor’s job posts on its own website several times a day, and automatically uploads them to the platform’s job board, according to its website. Cost for the service varies; in one option, employers can buy 10 posts for $799 a month.
Path to Pro
The free Home Depot-owned job board Path to Pro helps contractors find and hire skilled tradesworkers. Interested employees can link resumes and social media postings, set their location and display their skills and portfolio, and contractors can browse to find their next pair of hands for a job, according to its website.
SkillHero
A job board focused specifically on entry-level tradesworkers, SkillHero contains statistics for builders and employees on the fields they want to get into. It also showcases training opportunities and apprenticeships, according to information on its website.
Skillit
Armed with a database of verified tradesworkers, Skillit aims to make the recruitment process easier for contractors searching for full-time labor. While Skillit doesn’t claim it’s a job board, the database it maintains allows contractors to reach out to potential employees at any time, per its website. While it’s free for workers, it offers contractors subscriptions based on specific trades and regions.
Know of other web-based job boards? Email the Construction Dive editors to let us know.
