Study of the supply and demand for skilled construction workers in Texas, 1974-2000 : final report for the special Project Committee of the State Manpower Services Council / prepared by the Texas Industrial Commission.
View/ Open
Date
2014-09-16Author
Texas Industrial Commission
Texas. State Manpower Services Council. Special Project Committee.
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
This analysis of the supply and demand of skilled
construction workers includes the four following topics:
supply mechanisms; supply of skilled laborers; past, current
and projected construction; and manpower requirements for
such construction. The types of construction are restricted
to energy-related (nuclear and fossil-fueled power plants),
industrial-related (petroleum and chemical plants) and
water-related (dams, reservoirs and waste-water treatment
facilities).
The supply mechanisms include apprenticeship training
programs, vocational-technical programs and on-the-job
training. The first of these sources is considered to be
broad-based training while the latter two are categorized as
narrow-based training. Apprenticeship training programs,
though long in duration, qualify trainees to practice several
different skills, thus creating a better chance for continuous
employment. Despite its restrictions, narrow-based training
makes its trainees available for employment more quickly.
Statistics concerning the supply of skilled labor
reveals that its numbers are increasing, especially the
structural metal workers, boilermakers and brickmasons. The
supply of employed skilled construction workers, another
important barometer, indicates employment increases of
millwrights, and cement and concrete workers. At the present, minorities represent a comparatively small percentage of the
total skilled labor supply while women represent an even
smaller percent.
Construction of fossil-fueled power plants is moving at
a fast pace and should continue to do so, as Texas ranks
first in the number of fossil-fueled units proposed for
ccnstruction in the U.S. Additional energy-related construction
will occur as each of the five proposed nuclear power
plants receive permits from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Growth in the number of petrochemical plants is expected to
rise as it has in the past although factual substantiation
of this is unavailable. Construction of dams and reservoirs
will raise their total storage capacity from the current 30
million acre-feet to over 43 million acre-feet in the next
five years.
Manpower requirements in the past have been greatest in
the industrial sector. Future demands will be influenced by
nuclear power plant construction which requires a greater
number of workers as well as requiring a greater length in
construction time.