Labor

Construction has a reputation for being a boys’ club. That perception exists for a reason.

About one in 10 workers in construction were women in 2024, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That percentage is even smaller in the trades.

In Arizona, Kate Glantz is seeking to get more women into the construction workforce through an unusual method: a glossy magazine. The co-founder of the media and lifestyle brand Move Over Bob has sought to educate more women about their opportunities to pursue a career in the trades.

Here, Glantz talks with Construction Dive about the mission behind the magazine, its goals for recruiting and education and the response to its cheeky name.

CONSTRUCTION DIVE: How did this magazine come about? What’s the idea behind it?

KATE GLANTZ: A print magazine in 2025 was obviously not the very first thing we thought of, but I'll say this time and again: Girls aren't Googling how to be a construction worker. So we had to find ways to meet them where they are. And at the same time, we are facing a massive skilled labor shortage in the U.S. and I just don't believe it's an issue of interest. I really believe this is an awareness issue and it's a narrative issue and it's a marketing challenge. So we knew we needed to get these stories to girls where they couldn't just click away.

We realized schools are where our customers are. I now have partnerships with about 350 schools — of which 80% are high schools and 20% middle schools — across Arizona, so the magazine is not only going into kids' backpacks and home to their families, but teachers are using it in class and guidance counselors are using it in their sessions. It’s not curriculum, it is a glossy magazine. This first issue just came out in August. There are 20,000 copies, 18,000 of which have been distributed to schools, women's prisons, nonprofits and some public libraries. 

But what's really exciting, is that we're a teen magazine in classrooms, right? And so we hired a career and technical education teacher to develop both a middle school classroom guide and then a high school classroom guide, one for CTE students, one for non-CTE, and then we have an English and Spanish family guide.

Is it only in Arizona for now?

The partnerships are in Arizona. We now have subscribers all over the country. But really the storytelling is focused on Arizona. And the reason that we are starting there — we absolutely plan to be national — is that construction is quite local. Certifications and next steps and scholarships and training opportunities, they vary so much by region. And so before we went really wide with this aspirational, narrative-changing endeavor, we wanted to make sure the backend was as shored up as possible. 

It’s not just cool pictures and stories and sound bites. Every page of the magazine has a QR code where you can actually then scan it and get into where the apprenticeship is. You can see, what are the opportunities in my area for plumbing, for example. 

What’s the relationship been like with partners, contractors and apprenticeship programs?

Incredibly supportive. They love it. Everyone knows that we have a workforce shortage. And tradeswomen only make up a small share of the workforce, though it varies by region. But we know diverse perspectives make better businesses. 

I think that no matter where you fall personally, politically, there is this sort of unique expressway for what we're doing, which is bringing more talent into the labor market. Everything that I communicate through the magazine and everything we talk about in any of our materials, frankly, is as applicable to men. It's just the messengers are the women, and that's just never been seen before.

Let’s talk about the name. Have you received any pushback for the title “Move Over Bob?”

I mean, in construction, you’ve got to have an edge. You’ve got to have a sense of humor. And if you don't have thick skin, you're going to be in trouble. So the choice between a more edgy and provocative name that you're not going to forget and will perk your ears up, I feel like that's a lot more powerful. 

This is an anthem. It's a movement. It's something that requires strength to say. “Move over Bob.” 

But we will always say, this is not at all about pushing men out. When I ask women, “How'd you get into construction?” the number one answer, far and away is: “My dad.” Not one part of our ethos is anti-man. It's the reality that everything is being built predominantly by one point of view. We pose no threat to men by bringing more women into construction. 

So anyone who's willing to listen for 10 seconds after they hear that name they’ll know that we're saying we just need men to make room. But we need them by our side, frankly. And especially those named Bob love it. Because they’re like “Yeah, it’s sassy.”

Pre-apprenticeship initiatives were critical pathways into skilled trade careers across Illinois in recent years, helping to address ongoing labor shortages in the construction industry. That’s according to a study by the Illinois Economic Policy Institute.

The report focused on Illinois’ two major pre-apprenticeship initiatives — the Highway Construction Careers Training Program and the Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship Program.

From 2017–2023, HCCTP enrolled 2,500 participants, graduated 1,900 and placed 1,000 into construction apprenticeships or related jobs. Meanwhile, from 2022-2024, the Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship Program enrolled 3,300 participants, graduated 1,600 and placed 1,100 in similar opportunities. Together, the programs accounted for about 5% of all new Illinois construction apprentices and a much larger share of Black (35%) and women (21%) apprentices statewide.

By comparison, about 6.5% of all construction workers nationwide were Black in 2024, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Data, and about 11.2% of all U.S. construction workers were women.

“It’s not complicated, it shows the pre-apprenticeship programs work,” said Robert Anthony Bruno, director of the labor education program at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and co-author of the report. “With the advantages that the pre-apprenticeship programs provide, they really allow an expanding group of workers who otherwise haven’t been well represented in trades to find opportunity. It’s greater access to skilled workers in an industry that tends to suffer from shortages and missed opportunities.”

Pre-apprenticeship programs provide tuition-free training, ensuring that aspiring tradespeople can develop their skills without financial barriers. Therefore, this approach not only benefits workers but also supplies contractors with a steady pipeline of skilled labor.

Bruno points to the data, which shows that between 2017 and 2024, Illinois enrolled more than 40,000 new construction apprentices, with 96% participating in joint labor-management programs affiliated with unions. These union-based apprenticeships have demonstrated higher success rates, boasting a 65% completion rate, which is more than double the 29% completion rate among nonunion, employer-only programs.

“When you see percentage increases that are double digits, that’s a robust and sizable increase and exhilarating for the industry,” Bruno said. “These investments are not only in the physical infrastructure, but it recognizes the need to invest in the labor force.

‘The best 360-approach’

Norman Ruano, deputy director of the Office of Illinois Works at the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, noted that since Gov. JB Pritzker took office, there has been progress toward creating a qualified talent pipeline for the state’s construction trades.

“Since launch, we have seen a steady growth in program participation, particularly from individuals who have been historically underrepresented in the construction trades which we believe is a result of being intentional with our investments and initiatives,” Ruano said via email.

Ruano said that since 2022, the percentage of labor hours performed by apprentices on Illinois Works-eligible capital projects (those funded by state appropriated capital dollars that are at least $500,000 in estimated costs) grew from 11% to 17%.

“In the same period, the percent of apprentices who are women, persons of color or veterans working on those projects increased,” Ruano said. 

Bruno called these apprenticeship-readiness programs “the best 360-approach” for growing the industry and should serve as a model for how the U.S. builds things going forward.

“These programs prove you can bring people of color and women into the trades, as there’s not a lack of interest,” Bruno said. “The hope is five to 10 years from now, you really do see a greater use of this and perhaps see some significant changes in the diversity of the workforce. This is just adding workers that are needed into the pipeline.”

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How people data can help

Using tools that analyze data about their people (also called people analytics) can help employers identify biases in hiring and advancement, reveal opportunities to expand support and measure progress toward their goals.

Construction businesses must show they’ve built a welcoming company culture emphasizing inclusion and fairness to attract a diverse talent pool. There are data analysis tools that can help interpret candidate and new hire feedback to reveal trends that highlight opportunities in multiple areas:

• Employee experience

When used to evaluate the employee experience, people analytics can help drive strategies for overcoming obstacles and making work more meaningful for women in the industry.

• Career development

People analytics can help you develop career path mapping, identify candidates for skills training and monitor career advancement within your organization.

While a helpful tool, using people analytics is not a quick fix to recruitment woes or inclusion issues. Like most talent challenges, bringing (and keeping) women onboard with your construction company will require ongoing effort, consistent attention and regular course adjustments. Consider these specific examples of how construction leaders can leverage their people data:

• Conduct diversity audits for every job title
• Conduct pay equity audits
• Monitor turnover rates and look for trends
• Analyze “time to promotion” by demographic

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Stepping up to the challenge

Overcoming deeply rooted stereotypes and ensuring equal treatment must remain a top priority for firms looking to attract women and success in the future.

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WASHINGTON — Shovels cannot break ground if no one’s there to hold them. 

Industry leaders stressed that takeaway at the Elevate 2025 conference on Sept. 4 in Washington, D.C., where George Guszcza, president and CEO of the National Institute of Building Sciences, framed the construction workforce crisis as a national security threat.

“When you look across the entirety of the built environment, the gap that is created has risen to the level of a national security issue and requires us, as a country, to look hard, to look deep, to make sure that we are doing what is necessary,” Guszcza said.

The discussion at the conference underscored that although many small-scale programs show promise, systemic alignment is still missing.

That will ultimately constrain overall U.S. competitiveness, according to panelists. Without thoughtful retention and recruitment strategies, contractors will struggle to deliver on multibillion-dollar projects tied to reshoring and infrastructure.

For that reason, immigration and visa policy reforms, along with greater recruitment of veterans and women, can be key to help narrow the construction workforce gap.

However, many of the laws around immigration are not easy to understand or navigate, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said at the event. She added systems in the federal government are largely outdated, which slows the process.

“It was very important to our farmers, ranchers and producers and many others who use any of the H-programs, that they knew how to navigate the system. They need it cheaper and faster,” said Chavez-DeRemer during the event, referring to the visa programs such as H-1B and H-2B. “Those things need to be accessible to the people who are using the systems we have in place.”

Other leaders at the event emphasized untapped talent pools, such as veterans. 

For example, programs such as SkillBridge, Hiring our Heroes and new partnerships with home improvement retailer Lowe’s prepare service members and military spouses for construction careers after their years of service, said Elizabeth O’Brien, senior vice president at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.

Another proposal called for using national parks as training hubs for service members who enter civilian life, said Tanya Wattenburg Komas, president and CEO of The Concrete Preservation Institute. In the past, that included construction work on sites such as the Pearl Harbor National Memorial in Hawaii and Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay.

The approach could spark interest in construction through meaningful projects while easing recruiting challenges. The move could also help address the National Park Service’s $22 billion deferred maintenance backlog, she added.

Yet, retention is a hurdle, said Shirley Albritton, vice president of Department of Defense Programs and Services with the National Institute of Building Sciences.

Nearly half of veterans leave their first civilian job within a year, she noted. For that reason, panelists urged contractors to collaborate across companies so workers who do not stay with one employer remain in the construction industry somewhere else. In other words, the focus should be on keeping veterans in the industry overall, not simply within one firm. Over the long run, that will benefit all contractors. 

Nevertheless, the scale of the gap is growing. Women, in particular, remain underrepresented. 

The outdated perception of construction as “dirty, difficult, dangerous and dead-end” discourages many from entering the field, said Branka Minic, CEO of Building Talent Foundation. Ellen Thorp, managing director at the Coalition for Sustainable Roofing, added women need role models who demonstrate long-term career options and the integration of career and personal life.

For example, 68% of women report poor leadership is pushing them out of the industry, according to a survey conducted by the National Center for Construction Education and Research and Ambition Theory, a Denver-based group that provides professional coaching and leadership training for women in construction.

The number of open construction jobs increased 26% at the end of July, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics latest data. That job opening level was the highest in over a year.

Ramped-up immigration enforcement has impacted nearly a third of construction firms, according to a survey released Aug. 28 by the Associated General Contractors of America and the National Center for Construction Education and Research.

Labor shortages remain the leading cause of project delays, with 45% of contractors citing worker gaps as the cause. Ninety-two percent of respondents reported difficulty filling open positions.

The survey underscores how labor issues and immigration enforcement overlap with broader policy pressures such as tariffs, which 16% of firms say have already forced project changes, according to the report.

Construction workforce shortages have long been a major headache on project delivery. Escalated immigration enforcement has only intensified the problem, AGC leaders said during the event.

That’s causing projects of all types to hit slowdowns, said Ken Simonson, AGC chief economist, in the virtual event briefing. About 88% of firms report having openings for craft construction workers and 80% of firms have openings for salaried workers, he added.

Contractors are responding to shortages with higher wage offers and more investment into training.

Seven out of eight firms raised base pay as much or more than they did a year earlier, according to the report. Another 42% increased training budgets and more than half turned to social media and career-building programs at school.

Training improvements can both ease immediate pressures and provide workers with lasting careers, said Boyd Worsham, president and CEO of NCCER, during the event.

“People are investing more in training and educating their workforce and developing their people,” said Worsham. “I think that’s a good thing because that makes people better, more proficient in their jobs.”

But it won’t be enough, especially with stepped-up immigration enforcement, according to the report. 

One in 10 construction firms use visa programs such as H-2B, largely due to approval difficulty. That’s leaving many firms exposed to enforcement activity that has already affected 28% of respondents, according to the report. 

Effects are more pronounced depending on region. For example, heightened immigration enforcement over the first half of 2025 has impacted about 75% of firms in Georgia, compared to just 8% in Idaho, according to the report. 

Simonson called for Congress to double career and technical education funding and pass a new Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. Today, 10% of funds spent through this law go to training programs. Simonson advocated to increase that to at least 50%.

He also urged lawmakers to establish a construction-specific visa program to help alleviate the fears.

“Congress and the Trump administration must provide more lawful pathways for people to enter into, or remain in, the country to work in construction,” Simonson said during the event. “This should include establishing a new, construction-specific temporary work visa program. And it should include a pathway for people already in the country.”

When Chicago-based The Walsh Group won a contract on the $781 million Cancer and Advanced Ambulatory Building at the University of Kentucky, firm leaders pitched the school on a program the contractor had utilized before. 

For over 25 years, Walsh has wielded pre-apprenticeship programs on projects, recruiting locals and giving them on-the-job training with their subcontracting partners, said Muhummad Starks, project manager for Walsh.

“We've kind of been leveraging our projects to advertise what's awesome about construction for the last 25 years,” Starks told Construction Dive.

The Lexington, Kentucky-based university and Walsh, along with Goodwill Kentucky, a nonprofit that helps low-income people find jobs, announced a partnership that launched Aug. 1 designed to provide training in technical skills and exposure to the industry. The program will serve as a pathway to registered apprenticeship opportunities, potentially setting up participants to pursue a full apprenticeship and a career in the trades. 

The 550,000-square-foot project broke ground in April 2024, and is slated to open in 2027. 

Cohorts and training

The program is designed to run a half-dozen, eight-week cohorts of pre-apprentices through the course over two years, Chris Zarvas, project manager, told Construction Dive. At the end of each stint, ideally both the pre-apprentice and the subcontractor on the job would agree, Zarvas said, to employ the worker full-time.

Starks said the first step is ensuring subcontractors have a large enough scope of work to train a pre-apprentice. That’s not always the case, he said. For example, the first cohort will entail three workers, as the subcontractors mostly perform electrical, HVAC, plumbing and concrete work.

But going forward, work such as carpentry or glazing will require cohorts to be larger and supply the pre-apprentices with more work to do, Starks said.

“When I set this up, I had the luxury of calling up a couple of project managers that had run a pre-apprenticeship program out here,” Starks said. The Walsh experts who had run similar programs were instrumental in setting up the first week.

For the first full day, Starks said, the team focuses on safety. Then it's a jobsite walkaround and identifying hazards, quality inspections, a visit with the superintendent to talk about how Walsh builds and finally, training with jobsite-specific tools and software.

Goodwill connections

Though most people know Goodwill for its retail locations, the organization’s goal is actually to help people find pathways out of poverty, said Alycia Tidrick, director of strategic partnerships for Goodwill Kentucky.

Sometimes Goodwill aids with job placement for workers through the retail stores, but it is opportunities like Walsh’s pre-apprenticeship program that work best, Tidrick said.

“We of course love employer partnerships, but we really value those opportunities where there's also a training component and where we can kind of bring together fantastic employers, great opportunities with career pathways and that training piece of it as well,” Tidrick said.

Many individuals that Goodwill helps face stiff obstacles to employment, such as a justice-involved past or battles with addiction, said Jennifer Bergman, regional director of career services for Goodwill Kentucky. Construction’s dire need for workers makes the industry a good fit for people seeking employment opportunities of all kinds.

“We’re looking at individuals who have come to the table and really tried hard to make a difference and change their life,” Bergman said. “It gives them a new chance, it gives them a second chance. It could be their 10th chance, but they're ready for this. And it gives them not only a possible job, but something that can turn into a wonderful career.”

Part of why Walsh developed the pre-apprenticeship program is that the firm knows all too well how serious the labor shortage in construction is. Starks noted the exodus of experienced tradespeople as they age into retirement faster than contractors can hire the next generation of workers.

“We're all dealing with the same problem,” Starks said. “I think the need for people working in construction who have experience drives the subcontractors to know it's in their best interest to be a part of [something like this].”

TikTok may be best associated with the latest dance crazes and viral challenges, but the social media platform with more than 1.5 billion monthly users could be a boon in helping the construction industry find its next generation of skilled laborers. 

In fact, many in construction are using the platform to provide younger generations with an informative perspective on careers in the industry and using influencers to help with recruiting.  This movement has become a significant influence on Gen Z’s career choices, inspiring many to consider construction as a viable and rewarding profession.

Chelsea Fenton (@thatunionlaborer), a Massachusetts-based TikToker who has worked with The Laborers’ International Union of North America doing concrete, underground utilities and demolition work for more than 13 years, posted her first TikTok after seeing a Facebook reel of a female electrician and noticing the hundreds of comments underneath the post.

“A light bulb went off in my head that I could do this for my trade and I started posting online about construction and being a woman in the trade and it caught the attention of a lot of women,” she said. “I put myself out there and told them if they needed help finding an apprenticeship or some opportunity in their area, message me.”
 

Today, Fenton has more than 26,500 followers and believes that social media is the best free tool to advertise about the pros of the construction industry, especially for women who might not realize these job options are available. 

“The algorithm is easy to push content to a certain demographic of people,” she said. “I have built my community around women — 70% are women — and people hype each other up. TikTok is one of the easiest ways to get a message across to a lot of people.”  

Fenton’s posts talk about her growing up in the trades and her experiences throughout her career, and tries to offer an emotional connection, such as when she worked on the jobsite while pregnant. 

“If you can make yourself relatable, you will attract people,” she said. “A lot of people don’t really know these are careers that you can do without being $100,000 in debt. My most successful video was me just talking about how much I made, how I bought a house at 27 and showing them the positives.” 

Eddy Lopez (@ez_home) owns his own construction business in Washington state and currently has more than 2.6 million followers checking in to his account to see his latest DIY projects and viral construction videos.  

“It was during the pandemic when I started posting, at first just for fun, and there were a lot of people who loved the tips and DIY posts, and five years later, the platform is used to run our business,” he said. “Anything you can use to teach people is really good content; people love the before-and-after posts.” 

Lopez has had lots of conversations through his posts with those interested in getting into the trade and believes that his TikTok library has helped recruit thousands to the industry. 

“You need to hook people right away, and keep things short and simple,” he said about the posts. “If you stay consistent and keep posting, sooner or later, the algorithm is going to reward you.” 

A different path

New York-based Andrew Brown (@andrewbrowntrades), founder of ToolFetch, a portal for the trades, has 31,000 followers and utilizes TikTok to inspire the next generation to consider careers in construction. 

“My platform is about impact, storytelling and shifting culture in a way that actually helps people,” he said. “TikTok has given me the reach, but more importantly, it’s given this message a real home.”

His posts reach those who feel college might not be the right choice, so content that resonates most involves young men and women on the path to a six-figure career, which includes learning about apprenticeship, union jobs and information on climbing the career ladder. This could include a day-in-the-life post of a welder or electrician or showing jobsites with young people succeeding. 

“If people feel they are mechanically driven, have a technical spark or want to work with their hands, they can see that they can get into a career that's in high demand and not have the debt follow them vs. going into a four-year college,” Brown said. 

Savvy team-up

A new strategic collaboration between TikTok, the Skilled Careers Coalition and SkillsUSA is looking to boost interest in skilled trades among Gen Z — those born between 1997 and 2012 — by tapping into the influence of creators on the popular platform. 

At the heart of the collaboration is Skills Jam, SCC’s youth-led content platform that showcases skilled careers through short- and long-form videos. 

“TikTok is great at storytelling; it’s visual with short soundbites in some cases, and it’s a platform that a lot of young individuals are engaging in,” said Mark Hedstrom, executive director of the SCC. “A lot of approach with this collaboration is to meet young students where they’re at, so it’s a great platform to engage them in an authentic way.” 

Content that he feels entices younger people to the construction trade are posts by people who look like a student, talk like a student and demonstrate why they are passionate about their skilled career.

“This helps engage the students in exploring the opportunity further,” Hedstrom said. “It’s not just about raising awareness but trying to find opportunities to bring students through to taking action, helping them find those opportunities for them to pursue those careers.”