A Case Study of the COnstruction Labor Market and Impact of Retiring Baby Boom Generation

Construction firms often analyze the impacts of schedule, cost, and quality when reviewing the risk associated with a project. An important aspect of the project execution effort; available skilled labor resources, can have a significant impact on the success of the project but may not always be considered as part of the risk analysis effort. The intent of this paper is to discuss the contribution of the baby boom generation, how the retirement of baby boomers will impact the labor market, what this means for the construction industry and how construction firms can mitigate risks associated with this phenomenon. Since this study is limited to a sub-set of the California labor market, follow-up research will be helpful in assessing the impact of available skilled labor and how it impacts the Golden State in its entirety, as well as the construction industry nationwide