Myth Busters Series: The Worker of Tomorrow Is …

We are currently on a journey here on the blog to bust some common myths in the construction industry today. We have already looked at some including if the construction industry is a technology laggard and some big myths surrounding digital twins. For today’s blog, let’s look at some of the biggest myths surrounding today’s worker.

Many people have pre-conceived notions of today’s young worker. I am sure you are formulating some in your head right now. But the truth is tomorrow’s worker is also tech savvy and innovative, which is something we discovered when we compiled the data for our report, Who Is the Worker of Tomorrow?

Here we unpacked how the future of work is changing by surveying 4,004 workers and some of the findings are illuminating. Some of the key takeaways here are:

Traditional offices are less appealing: 45% of people find working in traditional office environments to be less attractive today, revealing a shift to remote work as enticing.

The appeal of technology: 65% of respondents state the emergence of technology is having a profound impact, as the paucity of workers continues to hamper industries across the globe. This includes tools like AI (artificial intelligence) that will help to reshape tasks on the job.

Sustainable goals: Today’s workers are socially aware and environmentally mindful, which is a growing trend across many generations.

Ready and willing to job hop: A majority of those in the construction industry (63%) are seeking a new position, indicating they are willing to switch roles or companies, yet 69% say it is difficult to find a job in today’s work environment.

While this gives us some good insight into the future of work and what today’s worker wants out of a job, the reality is the worker of tomorrow will have varied skillsets, wants, and needs and the construction industry must find the talent that marries well with the positions available—which is certainly a tall task.

We all know the numbers: the construction industry must attract an estimated 501,000 additional workers on top of the normal hiring pace in 2024 to meet the labor requirements. The worker shortage is having dire consequences on the construction industry, but the combination of digital transformation and the skills of the worker of tomorrow will help to catapult construction into a new era of work—one that will help build the homes, neighborhoods, infrastructure, skyscrapers, and cities of tomorrow.

What are you seeing in your own business? Who is that worker of tomorrow? What do they want? Can we bust some of those pre-conceived notions we all have about them? How can we marry technology and the worker together to produce fruitful results in the construction industry in the year ahead?

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