Sales Continue to Increase Among Concrete Paver Contractors Despite Significant Workforce Shortage
Gross sales for concrete paver contractors in the United States and Canada increased by 7.8% during 2020, while four of every five contractors reported difficulty in recruiting and hiring quality employees, according to a new survey soon to be released by the Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute (ICPI).
The 2021 ICPI Contractor Business Report identified business trends from 187 segmental concrete pavement contractors. Respondents included ICPI members and non-members. Industry Insights of Columbus, Ohio conducted the study in January 2020 for ICPI.
“Contractors in the segmental concrete pavement industry are experiencing significant growth in sales,” said Marshall Brown, ICPI Board Chair. “However, this report also confirms a challenge for our industry. There is a large shortage of skilled installers. That is why ICPI has launched a workforce development program to attract more people into the industry and better train the people who are already involved. We have developed a career resource website hardscapingis.com, as well as an online learning center, The Hardscape Institute, where people can better access the industry’s top education programs. We are also working on marketing materials to help member contractors recruit more young people into the craft.”
Other key findings include:
The residential market remains strong representing 72.7% of sales, while commercial/ government projects comprised 27.3% of sales (a decrease of 3.2% from the previous year).
72.7% require crew members to review and participate in a formal, documented, safety program.
A 6.7% average wage/salary increase occurred in 2020, while a similar 5.8% average rise is forecasted for 21
The study also includes data on technologies contractors use to monitor and reduce exposure of crew members to respirable silica, as well as on company promotion and certification trends. Besides reporting overall data, results provide insight into the industry regarding gross sales, ICPI membership level, and number of employees during the construction season. The full report will be available for purchase at https://icpi.org/bookstore.