It's no secret that the skilled trades in the United States continue to face an ongoing labor shortage, as companies struggle to replace retiring veteran employees with their younger counterparts at the same rate. In fact, according to a recent industry-wide survey from Autodesk and the Associated General Contractors of America, 70% of contractors have a hard time finding qualified craft workers to hire amid growing construction demand. "Association officials said that many firms are changing the way they operate, recruit and compensate, but cautioned that chronic labor shortages could have significant economic impacts absent greater investments in career and technical education." EC&M's internal research on its Top 40 Electrical Design Firms and Top 50 Electrical Contractors surveys reiterate this message, with the last two surveys revealing between 75% and 80% of respondents indicating that they are having difficult filling open job positions.
Recruiting and retaining the best and the brightest has always been a key component to future success among electrical contracting companies. But given the current state of the skilled labor shortage, the next generation of electrical workers is even more critical. EC&M made a commitment to recognizing some of this top-end talent by developing the "Under 30 EC&M All Stars" special report. Asking electrical contracting companies to nominate up-and-coming young (under age 30) electrical professionals who have shown extraordinary results on the job, we received many impressive submissions this year.
This photo gallery highlights the 10 individuals who were selected as 2018's group of Under 30 EC&M All Stars, and serves as a sneak peek for the Special Report, which reveals how these young professionals are going above and beyond the call of duty, especially demonstrating innovation, efficiency, and creativity while incorporating technology into their jobs. Here they are — listed in alphabetical order.