Nothing is built without labor. And labor is getting harder and harder to come by.
Although fewer construction workers are leaving their jobs, either through self-employment or layoffs, openings in the industry soared in September. 15% month to month up to 431,000 total openings.
These positions need to be filled, and some companies are filling the demand with the help of online tools, created to help contractors find the right talent for their jobs.
While recruiting giants like LinkedIn, Indeed, CareerBuilder and Monster dominate the market due to their pervasive search capabilities, construction-specific boards have emerged in recent years, giving builders new ways to search for talent.
“Digital job boards, social media tools, newer platforms and a more connected ecosystem play a big role in how recruiting has evolved,” said Matt Abeles, vice president of technology and innovation for builders and associated contractors, in an email to Construction Dive. .
Here are eight tech-based recruiting tools for general and specialty contractors, some for free:
I bow
this HR software platform for the construction industry it emphasizes hiring the right candidate the first time. Its applicant tracking system allows contractors to file potential job applicants and streamline the hiring process, according to its website. It also streamlines the onboarding process and provides other HR processes such as benefits management and company composition analysis. The cost of the service varies.
Procore Construction Race Board
Powered by Arcoro, technology giant Procore offers a free job board which allows prospective trade workers to search for jobs in various locations and specific titles. The platform allows employers to post open positions and allows potential employees to filter by advanced strings or general criteria, according to its website.
Associated General Contractors of America construction careers
AGC of America Job Board is a resource for both owners and employees. Workers can set up alerts and upload their resumes, while employers can pay to post positions, starting at $200 for a 30-day term for a position.
Construction jobs
This job board allows trade workers to upload a resume and start looking for work in fields such as commercial construction, heavy civil and residential building. For potential employers, Construction jobs offers the option to create 30-day jobs, custom plans for different features, and a 12-month premium pricing package.
iHireConstruction
With more than 90,000 jobs and more than 1 million candidates on their site, iHireConstruction presents an option for contractors to find qualified workers. The website includes what it calls “job wrap,” which tracks a contractor’s job postings on its own website several times a day and automatically uploads them to the platform’s job board, according to its web site The cost of the service varies; in one option, employers can purchase 10 publications for $799 per month.
Road to Pro
The free job board owned by Home Depot Road to Pro helps contractors find and hire skilled workers. Interested employees can link resumes and social media posts, set their location and showcase their skills and portfolio, and contractors can browse to find their next pair of hands for a job, according to its website.
SkillHero
A job board focused specifically on entry-level trades workers, SkillHero contains statistics for builders and clerks about the fields they want to enter. It also shows training and apprenticeship opportunities, according to information on its website.
Abilities
Armed with a database of verified trade workers, Abilities aims to facilitate the hiring process for contractors seeking full-time labor. While Skillit doesn’t claim to be a job board, the database it maintains allows contractors to contact potential employees at any time, according to its website. While it’s free for workers, it offers subscriptions for contractors based on specific trades and regions.
Do you know of other web-based job boards? Email the Construction Dive editors to let us know.
