• The Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity projects a 22.7 percent increase in construction employment through 2034, even as younger workers show limited interest in the field.

• As 30 percent of union electricians approach retirement over the same period, there are only two replacements on average for every five leaving the workforce.

This imbalance has set the talent pipeline on a collision course with an expanding housing market, driven by consumers who expect building to continue without interruption, regardless of these workforce limitations.

The resulting labor desert, a critical shortage in the local labor supply that imperils area industry, is not confined to isolated, rural communities or declining markets. Labor deserts occur in populations of all sizes and economies of any condition.

Included is Fair Chance Hiring, an approach that narrows the chasm between employers and qualified applicants. Commonly associated with“ Ban the Box” policies, Fair Chance Hiring expands access to talent by engaging applicants with prior involvement in the justice system.

One famous example is the Fair Chance to Compete Act passed in 2023. Also known as the Fair Chance Act, the measure prohibits federal agencies and contractors from requesting an applicant’ s criminal history prior to issuing a conditional offer of employment.

Fair Chance Hiring, with its reach extending beyond the construction industry, continues to gain momentum, even among global corporate titans. In a well-known study, Johns Hopkins Hospital engaged a beta test assessing the totality and relevance of an individual’ s background against specific job requirements. The outcome was staggering:

• Over a five-year period, nearly 500 ex-offenders demonstrated lower turnover than their non-offender colleagues.

• Of the 79 with serious records, after approximately six years, 73 were still employed with only one involuntary termination.

Reflecting this trust-based approach, JPMorgan Chase has enjoyed a similar experience through its own Second

New Approaches

Like the ongoing scarcity of nurses and teachers, the diminishing numbers in skilled trades are straining the country’ s capacity amid a growing national hiring crisis. These pressures have compelled employers to explore new approaches to sourcing talent.

www. contractorshotline. com February 6, 2026 15