Population growth, deteriorating infrastructure, and aging buildings will generate employment growth in the construction industry. Job opportunities are expected to be good for those construction workers with the most experience and skill. Employment in building construction may include office and industrial building construction companies, home building construction companies, concrete and brick work companies, and highway and street construction companies.
A trained building construction worker must have good hand to eye coordination, understand the blueprint of the work on hand and should be able to carry out the work plan effectively, math skills, and teamwork.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment of carpenters is projected to grow 8 percent from 2016 to 2026, about as fast as the average for all occupations. Population growth should result in more new- home construction—the largest segment employing carpenters which will require many new workers. The construction of factories and power plants is also expected to result in some new job opportunities in the next ten years.
Carpenters work indoors and outdoors on many types of construction projects, from building highways and bridges to installing kitchen cabinets. Carpenters may work in cramped spaces. They frequently shift between lifting, standing, and kneeling, the result of which can be tiring. Those who work outdoors are subject to variable weather conditions, which may limit a carpenter’s ability to the median annual wage for carpenters was $43,600 in May 2018.
Ron Parisien, Instructor
Luke Baker, Instructor
